11/10/16 Philemon and the Runaway Slave

Have you ever been in a situation where the person giving you advice has never been in your situation? and your immediate thought is, "What do you know?"  We discredit their comments because they haven't walked a day in our shoes and we think "they don't know what it's like".  When in all reality it's because they're not in our shoes that makes their judgement of our situation clearer.

I don't know what Onesimus's life was like before he ran away from Philemon, all we can tell is that he was a slave and that he may or may not have robbed Philemon before he aired out.  Which in Rome a runaway slave was liable to the death penalty.  Along his way Onesimus run's into a preacher man (who was in prison) named St. Paul and is converted to Christianity and I suspect he spilled the beans to St. Paul who he really was, Philemon's slave.  I'm sure when St. Paul was like, "Well I'd love for you to stick around awhile and evangelize the masses, but you need to go back to Philemon", Onesimus would cry out, "No way man, you don't know what it was like back there...plus he might put me to death!"  All logical concerns and completely human of him.  But St. Paul is telling him trust in the Lord, Philemon is a brother in Christ; and St. Paul has faith that he'll welcome Onesimus back without killing him.  Because St. Paul could look at this whole situation in context he was able to give our buddy Onesimus some pretty solid advice. 

I know my dad always has some good advice for me, and I'm just like this slave afraid of the whole situation thinking, "you have no idea what I'm going through".  But it's because of his position that he can see the outcome.  It's a sin of pride to discredit those people like my dad when they try to give you guidance, who knows it could be Jesus himself consoling you through your own dad!  The truth is we all stray back and forth and have to train our will to follow God's will in our lives.  For that, I love what St. Jerome says about this letter: Sometimes evil circumstances become an occasion for good, and God turns the evil plans of men toward a righteous end.  If Onesimus had not fled his master, he would not have come to Paul in prison and there received faith in Christ.

"So what?" you might ask.  How do we as ranchers and cowboys live this out?  We lean on the Lord every step of the way, praying and talking to him every morning with coffee.  Plainly spell out your worries and anxieties and then sit in some silence and let him show you His plan.  He's got this, no matter the number of open cows, plummeting calf prices, or lack of moisture He's got this.  Use these times to grow closer to him, just like Onesimus.  Peace.