Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and made them afraid to build, and they bribed officials to frustrate their plan throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, December 19, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Not everyone likes it when you thrive. The Israelites were rebuilding their temple after years of exile, and the locals weren’t thrilled. They probably recognized that it would make the Israelites unified and strong, and weaken their own influence in the region. They offered to help build the temple in an effort to exert that influence, but the Israelites said, “Thanks but no thanks. This is ours to do.” So failing their attempts at control from within, they resorted to straight out meddling—using intimidation and bribery to try to stall or stop the project.
Honestly, I think people are doing the best they can. I don’t think anyone (well, there are exceptions, but I’ll leave that for now) intentionally works to try to keep other people from flourishing. But we are all subject to our own fears and prejudices in big and small ways, and ultimately can revert to behavior that puts us first or gains us the most, even at the expense of others. Dysfunctional relationships and family systems demonstrate this regularly, as people sabotage one another seemingly without reason.
I’ve found that it’s critical for me to examine my motives before taking any sort of action, to make sure that what seems like the right thing for me to do isn’t undermining anyone else. I’ve also found that it’s critical for me to just stay out of other people’s business, and not be tempted to try to regulate anyone other than myself. It’s not always easy—especially as a parent!—but when I keep the focus on keeping my own side of the street clean, it’s easier to trust that God’s got everyone else, and I’m at much less risk of causing harm.
Have I experienced a dysfunctional relationship in which my well-being (or theirs) was undermined? How did I handle it?
