Let ‘Em Up Easy
As the Civil War culminated and Abram Lincoln was gathering the spoils of conflict, his advice to the officers of his army regarding the vanquished was, “Let ‘em up easy.” At the end of great bitterness, a note of grace. That same advice may be good for us today. Then, again, Lincoln was concerned about rebuilding, and, often, we are not.
If the fire is ever to stop, it must be put out. The alternative is for it to burn until there’s nothing left. And, if wounds are ever going to heal, then someone has to reach a place of reconciliation without redress. By this, I mean that everything may not be exactly the same as at a previous point, but that’s OK. Life does not have a reverse gear.
I suppose it is human weakness that makes us so often want to apologize without losing face. We could say that real repentance would have no such concern, but, most folks I know, do. That point aside, I honestly believe that there would be more apologies given and better relations if people were more approachable. Sin on both sides.
If we were nicer, then we would be happier. D.L. Moody said the hardest thing for God to do was make a person kind. This self-sacrificing empathy and real concern for other people is at the root of Jesus’ teaching that we should treat others as we would want to be treated. Most folks who are wrong know they’re wrong, and none of us wants to be beaten for our sins.
The Prodigal Son went home because he had no more money and was starving. He also went home because he believed he could go home. I ask Jesus to forgive me because I believe He will. Enough water has passed under the bridge for me to know that people will not always forgive a fault- even when they are part of the problem.
How grateful I am for the friends who, over the years, have let me up easy. There have been some who didn’t let me up at all- I just had to get up. Since the Bible connects spirituality and sympathy, I no longer believe the most rigorous are the most righteous. Life is hard, and we’d all do well to go easy on another once in a while.
Jesus would not break a bruised reed, but He was the epitome of strength. It may be that a great part of being strong is knowing when to use brute force. Strength without accomplishment is just wasted energy. Sometimes, strength is more in accepting a blow than in dishing it. If we don’t punch ourselves out, we might win the fight.
Lincoln was successful in reuniting renegades because he made a conscious choice to take the gentle approach. If we are to be gentle, it will take a conscious effort, too. It comes naturally for us to take the stringent route, but the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. If God can make us humble, we can become honorable.
Isaiah said God’s people would build up ruins and be called the repairers of broken walls. All around, we see devastation and despair. However, because something is in disrepair does not mean it is beyond repair. People are worth the effort, and relationships are worth saving- even if there are faults to forgive. Let ‘em up easy.
Sterl
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