The Exact Opposite
May 19th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I have two stories I’d like to share with you that may seem unrelated at first, but as you will see, they are beautifully intertwined.
When I was in junior high I talked my parents into letting me get a pet newt. You know, one of those slimey-lizard-reptile-looking-thingies. I loved to watch him swim in the water, eat his food, and lounge around his domain. I did not love to change water is his tank though. It was disgusting.
Now, the second story…
My little sister, Cherish, loved (and still loves) beef jerky. She would scarf a down a $5 bag of jerky from Wal-mart like it was 25 cent gum drop from a candy machine. I quickly learned that if I ever wanted her to side with me in an argument or do what I said, a little dehydrated beef and pepper would do the trick.
Now, the blending of the stories…
One day, while feeding my newt, I had a genius idea: I decided to convince my sister that his food was actually beef jerky. Then, when she ate it, I would laugh hysterically. It was glorious. I knew that she would give in. I knew that her adolescent mind would be unable to resist. I anticipated that all of my friends and everyone in my family would think it was funny and congratulate me for my creativity. Sadly, this was not the case.
Mom and Dad did not find my shenanigans to be humorous in the least. They thought Cherish might have been poisoned, and I was branded as the irresponsible son: things did not work out how I planned. In fact, what I hoped would happen was the exact opposite of what happened. I desired to bring about amusement and acceptance, when I reality, I created only annoyance and aversion.
Sometimes what we hope and work for is the exact opposite of what actually occurs. This was especially for those who attempted to torment believers in the early church. For instance, consider Acts 8:1a-3,
A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.
Saul’s goal (and others’) in persecuting the church was destruction. They hoped that in oppressing the followers of Jesus they would eliminate followers of Jesus. However, the exact opposite occurred. Consider Acts 8:4,
But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.
Saul and his companions thought that separating the believers would cause them to recant, when in reality, it caused the message of Jesus to spread even further. It should be noted that God is so powerful that he can take the corrupt plans of man, foil them, and bring glory to His name. Just a thought.
