Don't Shoot the Messenger

Let's face it.  None of us likes to hear bad news.  For many years I refused to watch the news because I didn't want to hear about all the bad stuff in the world, and some days I still have to turn it off.  It's not just the sad and tragic stories of the world that we don't want to hear, but any news that conflicts with our own desires, goals, or plans.  If we are planning a picnic and hear it is raining, we turn off the weatherman.  Our natural response to anyone telling us something we don't want to hear is to shut that person down, even if only for a moment, giving birth to the phrase, "don't shoot the messenger".

I've heard the phrase for as long as I can remember. Shakespeare gets the credit on most websites for the original phrase that later evolved into this more modern, and somewhat violently worded, idiom.  (Yes, I used the word idiom.  An idiom is a commonly used expression, the meaning of which can not be understood when translated literally.  I was an English major; what are you doing to do?) I don't remember having it explained to me, but I remember as a kid not wanting to be the bearer of any bad news because I didn't want to be on the receiving end of the backlash.  As an adult, I realized that the reaction was not really about me, but that did not have me eagerly signing up for the job...until I entered the ministry.  One of the things I learned very quickly was that being God's messenger means speaking the truth, and most people do not like hearing the truth.  I'll admit it, I don't always want to hear the truth myself, but you can't follow God and not listen to what He has to say. 

That means we sometimes come face to face with God's truth and hear it as "bad" news, not because it is bad, but because it is not what we want to hear. You want to date a guy that is a really "good" man but not a Christian. God's truth tells us to only be in relationship with someone who is also a Christ-follower.  "Bad" news.  You want to go off on the woman at work who is so rude to you all the time.  God's truth tells us to turn the other cheek and love our enemy.  "Bad" news.  You want to quit waiting around for your husband to make a decision and take charge of the situation. God's truth tells us our husbands are the head of the household and to submit to them.  "Bad" news.  

So what do we do in the face of  this "bad" news? We shoot the messenger.  We put away our Bibles, stop praying skip church, and avoid our believing friends who share the truth.  Oh sure, you don't "pull our your nine and bust a cap" in anyone (another idiom for all the wannabe hip hop/gangstas out there), but we all know how to shut down the flow of truth from God when we want to, at least temporarily.  As a speaker, I have stood on the stage and seen people's facial expression turn icy as the words God has given me begin to step on their toes.  As a minister, I have recognized the moment in a conversation when the woman asking me for counsel is no longer listening to what I have to say.  As a flawed human being, I have done my own share of shutting down when God is using someone to tell me what I need to hear, not just what I want to hear.

The funny thing is, you can shoot the messenger all you want, but His message can not be shut down.  God will make sure that somehow, some way you will hear what you need to hear. Romans 1:19 says,
    
    "They know the truth about God because he has made it  
     obvious to them." 

God will make sure that the truth you need to hear is right in front of you.  The question is will you see it and receive it or will you make it difficult for yourself? I like to think of it this way.  The first time God tries to tell me something it is a whisper.  Each time I refuse to hear, He gets a little louder.  The longer I resist, the louder He gets and eventually He will hold up a megaphone to my ear.  That metaphor makes my ear hurt just to imagine it, but that is a great image for what happens when we refuse to listen to God. 

Let me encourage you to avoid the megaphone and the ache that comes with it.  There is something God is trying to tell you right now, some message you need to hear.  The message is not what you want to hear, but is is what you need. Instead of shooting the messenger, listen to the message and let God take you where He knows it is best for you to go. I'm just sayin'.