A few days ago, I was sent the following update about a longstanding concern of this blog [1] with a request to write about the incident. First, I would like to explain what happened in the author’s words:

“Hello brethren,

It’s nice to be back after traveling to Mexico these last two weeks. What happened is that God opened a door for us to recover a UCG meeting hall in Tabasco, Mexico, which had been taken over three years ago by the group that had separated from us. A member there let me know that the deed of the building had not been changed and it was still under the UCG name. So I have been working to get all the legal papers in order and a month ago, we received the deed for the property. We do have a fiduciary (legally responsible) to protect the UCG assets of the Church around the world.

So I went to Tabasco, Mexico and met with 35 brethren. They were very interested in knowing the other side of the story of what had happened three years ago. They have been told we no longer kept the Sabbath or the Holy Days and that we have women preachers. When they found out that was definitely not the case and that they had been misled, they decided to come back to our UCG affiliation. So last Sabbath, we inaugurated the Church hall in Tabasco, with 40 members, 35 which had not been part of our Church, and plan to show you this Sabbath photos of this event. God is the one that made it all happen. We just walked through the doors He opened. The brethren had been so discouraged there that one of them mentioned only 5 had met there the week before, and the rest met in their homes for the Sabbath [2].”

There are a few elements of this particular note that are worthy of discussion, and first we ought to praise God for providing a happy ending to at least part of a very difficult and lengthy struggle of honor against slander, of truth against lies. It is a difficult matter both to fulfill our responsibilities and to allow God to avenge. It is tempting to fall into one of either two ditches, either to fail to fulfill our responsibilities because of a (misguided) belief that to do so is to negate our faith in God, or to do too much and seek to enter into the realm where only God belongs because of His mercy and His justice, and His knowledge of the deepest hearts and minds of ourselves and others. To toe the narrow line between those two extremes is a difficult task, made all the more difficult when the attack is deeply personal and when the feeling of responsibility is great.

Let us also praise the willingness of the brethren in Tabasco to hear the other side of the story. In our conflicts and the drama of life, there are always going to be a wide variety of different stories and perspectives, and when people have been led to believe terrible things about us, it is not always easy to find those willing to listen to our side of the story. In those circumstances, we can be very grateful to have a willing ear to listen to us that is not poisoned by bitterness but that is looking for enough facts and perspectives to make a balanced and fair judgment. We cannot take this sort of blessing for granted, and we ought to be very appreciative of the opportunities that we have to speak our side of the story without running others down while defending our own honor and reputation.

Determining what efforts are necessary to preserve our reputation can be a difficult matter. We can be tempted to respond to others in kind when they say or do hurtful and nasty things towards us. Developing the proper restraint while not internalizing the harsh and nasty actions that are done to us is a very challenging and difficult task. Navigating that task successfully allows us to gain a strength of character that is able to endure through life’s difficulties. As we build character through the difficulties we face, we become able to handle greater challenges and responsibilities and serve as a model and an example of God’s ways to others more of the time.

We must be wise stewards of that which has been placed under our authority. Whether that is only our own resources and our own matters or whether it is the affairs of a family, an institution, or a nation, we have the responsibility to acquire the necessary skill and the necessary resources to undertake the tasks that we have set out to do. We may not be able to do those tasks perfectly, but being people of integrity and honor, even when we are treated dishonorably by others, without losing our temper or failing to act in a loving and godly fashion, while defending our own honor and dignity, is a matter of great importance. If it were otherwise, we would not have to learn how to do so through so many difficulties. All the same, it’s nice to see such matters end well every once in a while.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/the-cogwa-cattle-rustlers-of-zambia/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/some-ironic-comments-on-a-lawsuit/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/portrait-of-a-wicked-man-proverbs-612-19/

[2] http://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=e5744ad31a449c5134f4ee742&id=8e452d3dfb&fb_action_ids=10201877001478059&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map={%2210201877001478059%22%3A582746675113879}&action_type_map={%2210201877001478059%22%3A%22og.likes%22}&action_ref_map=[]