When We Are Wrongly Accused
Do you know someone who is being wrongly accused? If so, you know the heartache that goes with those accusations. People lose family, careers, and reputations. Some are even prosecuted. I have a friend who discovered her supervisor was defrauding the non-profit organization she worked for. My friend tried to report the situation, knowing full well she could lose her job. She did. It created great stress in her home and financial situation. My friend did what she knew was right, but she was still caught in the crossfire of rumor and gossip. Two years later, the supervisor was prosecuted and found guilty.
“I have seen a wicked man in great power and spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was not; yes, I sought and inquired for him, but he could not be found.“ Psalm 37:35,36. [italics mine]
It is not easy to deal with injustice. Often we witness people take stands for what they think might be true. They position themselves based on what they believe credible–often without full knowledge of all the facts. They presume, assume and prejudge. They assign guilt where none has been evidenced. Unfortunately, I’ve seen, in my lifetime, many a man accused, indicted, convicted and sentenced without once going to trial. He has met his demise in the court of public opinion. So many of our faithful Christian forefathers met their life’s end at the hands of public opinion. The greatest book in all the world was written by the saints who were slain and slaughtered for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They took a stand for what they knew was True. And in Christ there is hope.
“Mark the blameless man and behold the upright, for there is a happy end for the man of peace.” Psalm 37:37
It’s hard to see it happen to another, and harder still to personally battle. The wicked man will not last forever. He may sprout and grow for a season, but he will pass away. People will remember that he once had great promise, and they will wonder what happened to him, but he will be no more. But for the blameless man…there is a happy end.
PRAYER: Lord, let us all be as men of peace. Let our thoughts be pure, our hearts clear, our hands clean. Let us dwell on that which is undefiled, good, and kind. Let us learn to speak well of one another and seek peace and peace alone.
© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2010
