1The intensity of debate continued to grow from the point of confrontation. The position of the other view was hard to understand. There was no obvious reason. His rationale was beyond my vision. As the time of silence expanded, the impending sense of a battle grew. It was coming. My only question was when. As I caught up with my emails after lunch, the invitation was waiting.
It felt as I was being invited onto the stage. As I began to see who else would be within the ropes, I soon discovered I was outnumbered! I had no chance of standing up to the Others. The line was clear; a community versus the one. I usually like these odds, except that I was the one.
As I reflected on my options, the blues began to echo in the back of my mind. There was no way that I was going to overpower this group of people. On each front, a superior force stood against me. I began to look other models and found myself remembering an innocent wisdom father standing before the judges. History recorded his approach.
“Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: ‘Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It’s because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I’ve been hauled into this court.’” (Acts 23.6)
The other had strong positions I could turn into weaknesses. Against their strong opinions, I could listen and respond with simple honesty. Using their confidence, I could ask questions and tell them of real experiences.
I had two weapons they did not. I had already walked down this path and failed. This time, I knew I had the freedom to choose not to walk down it twice.
Knowing and accepting the truth is a liberating process. In starting the day with the blues I remembered I had hope. What happens today will be a new chapter. We write our story.
