Do We Put God First?

HEDWIG OPPLER

This is a thought-provoking question. Many people would answer in the affirmative because they believe in God and pray to Him. But the question implies much more, as the following experience shows.

Several years ago somebody treated me very unfairly. I did not react, although reaction on my part would have seemed humanly justified. But the next and more difficult step was to forgive and forget. This passage from the Bible was a great help: "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."^{Matt. 5:23, 24;}

I asked myself, "Could you go to this person and speak kindly to her?" Well, the answer was no. I then and there woke up to the fact that the absence of resentment was not sufficient. I had to replace indifference with consideration and brotherly love and to see God's perfect idea instead of an unkind individual. The next time we met, friendliness prevailed.

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