Walking in the opposite spirit...

You're no doubt familiar with a Bible principle that is often called, "coming in the opposite spirit." One of the clearest examples of it in scripture is found in Proverbs 15 verse 1: a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. When someone speaks to us with anger or aggression, it's tempting to respond in the same way, but that only makes things worse; often a kind and gentle answer is the best way to diffuse the situation and help the person move beyond their negative attitude.

It works in all kinds of other ways too. I could tell you testimonies about times when our mission centre was in great financial need, in a nation with a strong poverty mentality. Despite our own need, God would often prompt us to move in generosity and give things away to others.

It's found also in the teaching of Jesus - for example, in Matthew 5: 38 - 41, the passage that gives us the concept of "turning the other cheek." But coming in the opposite spirit goes even beyond turning the other cheek. It's not about simply ignoring something bad that's been done to us and refusing to repay evil with evil; it's about actively stepping out and doing something good for that person who meant us harm.

I remember, many years ago now, a friend telling me about how he experienced this in his own church situation. Over a period of time, he discovered that a man in the church was spreading rumours about him, saying unkind and critical things that were damaging to his reputation. My friend confessed that he felt tempted to gossip about all the failings of this man, and thus perhaps to reduce the influence and credibility of the rumours. Instead, he decided to engage in "positive gossip." When he was with people from church, he would make positive comments about this man - perhaps saying what a good father he was, or how well he worked with his Sunday School class. 

Gradually, this other man began to hear some of these "compliments" on the grapevine.  I wonder if it was a shock to him that his "enemy" was saying all these good things about him. He never did acknowledge or apologise to my friend for the rumours he had caused... but my friend said that he gradually noticed a change in their relationship as this man began to reach out to him in friendship and conversation. They never did become "best friends," but the rumours and criticism stopped, and the two men went on to have a fruitful partnership in the church's youth ministry.

Yes, there are many examples in the Bible or in modern life where we see the power of coming in the opposite spirit. But in recent months I've been applying the principle in an unusual and completely unexpected way - a very practical and physical way.

You may know that I live with a certain level of pervasive pain, having been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia about a dozen years ago. If you live with constant pain, it's very easy to make lifestyle choices that seek to avoid or minimise the pain - like taking pain killers and trying to limit your physical movements to things that won't provoke further aching and stiffness. (Not carrying heavy things or engaging in too much physical activity.) While this may work to some extent, it also leads to a lower overall level of general fitness.

And so I decided to "come in the opposite spirit." Instead of making "safe" choices that might minimise pain in the short term, I decided to adopt strategies that would help me maintain more cardiac and general fitness over the long term. I needed activities that would not be harmful to my body, but would help me maintain a level of relative fitness and mobility.

My fitness partner for this journey has been my neighbour's dog, Buba. I'm not someone who's particularly motivated to go for walks by myself, but I do enjoy going walking with a dog. At the time my neighbour got her new puppy, I was in a season of life where I could barely walk more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time because of the pain in my back and the osteophytes on my feet. My first task was to find footwear that was soft-soled, causing no pressure on my sore feet. (Currently, it's a pair of not very elegant men's walking sandals!!) My second task was to get walking - beginning with leisurely strolls through the park, and working up to slightly longer walks in the countryside near my house. In summer time, I try to add in an occasional swim to supplement the walking.

Well, I'm not pain free... but I have to confess that I feel better in general, and I'm encouraged that I'm managing to keep mobile and to walk more now than was even possible for me a few years ago.

There's a short video called 23½ Hours, which is based on a number of scientific and medical studies. In the video, a doctor asks, "What is the single best thing that we can do for our health?" and makes a recommendation that has been shown to have a positive effect on medical conditions ranging from arthritis to high blood pressure and Alzheimer's disease. It's less than ten minutes long, and you can watch the video by clicking this link.

For me, in the meantime, I'm continuing to work towards the health benefits that come from "walking in the opposite spirit," and I'm incredibly thankful to have Buba to help me with that.