Doormat

So today someone was rude to one of the people I work with. She came over to me afterward and vented a bit and wanted me to, "do something about it." The thing she wanted to do was complain to the person's boss.

I didn't.

I did two things.

First we talked about why people lose sight of what's really important and get caught up in their own thing. They go to work at a hospital but forget that they're there to serve patients and not to cross things off their to-do list.

Second I mentioned that maybe when she comes into contact with a person like this she should turn the other cheek. She's a believer so in theory that should actually mean something to her. However, she seemed to take it as some sort of insult. (We talked about it more and I think she's ok.)

It got me to thinking. There's this prevailing thought that when Jesus said that, he didn't mean you should be a doormat. He was using a literary device called hyperbole where you say something that is far beyond reality to make a point.

But as Kari and I were talking about it tonight we started thinking about Jesus' last night with his disciples before his execution. He makes a point of going around and washing his disciples feet. Now I'm not a historian, and I won't claim to know everything about their time or culture, but it struck me that in a way, the last thing Jesus did before his crucifixion was to wipe his disciples' feet, to be a literal doormat for them.

I don't think turn the other cheek is hyperbole. I think that when God says that his wisdom is foolishness to the world that includes being a doormat.