Hey, there's a forest in those trees!
I don't look at things the way I used to. It's a gift from God that I'm so very grateful for. I had an opportunity this morning to reflect on the man I used to be and how I dealt with being confronted with my past. I think something I saw on television last night helped me learn a valuable lesson this afternoon.
A commentator was interviewing a pastor and asking questions about one of the candidates. He made the point that we do have pasts we overcome, but saying it isn't enough. His point was that if the man in question had changed a pattern of past behavior, he should start small and re-earn the trust of people. I can apply that to my own life today in a very big way. I didn't go looking for a confrontation today but found one anyway. At the end of it, I had an opportunity to say something positive and missed it. Shame on me.
The who or what was said are unimportant. Before I edited this thing, I put down the last two comments the person and I exchanged but after thinking about it, I decided to edit them out. So you might be asking yourself, why even bother with the story? Two reason, basically, but of course I have to tell a story to explain the first one.
I often talk about some of the programs I listen to on the radio. I learn things from them that I take to heart and here's a story that fits perfectly for this situation. A pastor recounted a conversation with a woman he knew that did not attend his church. Her complaint about her church, and an indictment of Christians in general, is that "we're all a bunch of vipers."
I've been called that myself so I understand the pastor's nest comment. He said he told the woman that the big difference between believers and those that don't attend church is that "We know we're vipers, that's why we need to go to church." That's the first reason I tell the story to you today. I know I'm a sinner. I'm far from perfect, and in fact, I'm far from where I need to be. The comment I made was proof of that. It wasn't edifying. It did not bring Glory to God. It made me look small to a person who is thoroughly convinced I'm just putting on a show by my faith.
God help me if that were true. The second reason goes to the first story I told about the commentator and pastor last night. It's kind of a "knife that cuts both ways" theory. If people tell us they've changed and we don't let them prove it to us, are we right to just judge them on past behavior? If we are showing someone our worst, should we be surprised when they don't show us their best? In a sense, if we overlook the tangible things that people do that show they've changed in favor of the mistakes they make along the way, then are we seeing the forest for the trees?
The other side of that knife contains this bit of wisdom that cuts as deep to the bone as the first, and it's a mistake I didn't realize I'd made until I started writing this. It goes to something I'm as guilty of as the candidate in question. It's this:
I asked someone to overcome my past entirely, yet a comment here or there undoes anything I might do or say that is positive and encouraging. The very huge lesson today is to remember that when dealing with the people in my past, with the relationships I've dealt with, is to not try and run for 'president' when what I should be doing is running for dog catcher and working my way up. I keep this thought in mind at church, wanting to serve the Lord but recognizing that I'm no place where I ought to be and that's only going to come with time.
I'm a baseball fan. I don't follow it like I used to but I love the game and another take-away I just came to is this one. I keep trying to win the game by hitting a home run and keep striking out. Clearly, what was called for in this particular situation was a sacrifice bunt. I missed the bunt sign and swung away.
We live, we learn, we grow. But today I noticed that there's a forest in those trees...
A commentator was interviewing a pastor and asking questions about one of the candidates. He made the point that we do have pasts we overcome, but saying it isn't enough. His point was that if the man in question had changed a pattern of past behavior, he should start small and re-earn the trust of people. I can apply that to my own life today in a very big way. I didn't go looking for a confrontation today but found one anyway. At the end of it, I had an opportunity to say something positive and missed it. Shame on me.
The who or what was said are unimportant. Before I edited this thing, I put down the last two comments the person and I exchanged but after thinking about it, I decided to edit them out. So you might be asking yourself, why even bother with the story? Two reason, basically, but of course I have to tell a story to explain the first one.
I often talk about some of the programs I listen to on the radio. I learn things from them that I take to heart and here's a story that fits perfectly for this situation. A pastor recounted a conversation with a woman he knew that did not attend his church. Her complaint about her church, and an indictment of Christians in general, is that "we're all a bunch of vipers."
I've been called that myself so I understand the pastor's nest comment. He said he told the woman that the big difference between believers and those that don't attend church is that "We know we're vipers, that's why we need to go to church." That's the first reason I tell the story to you today. I know I'm a sinner. I'm far from perfect, and in fact, I'm far from where I need to be. The comment I made was proof of that. It wasn't edifying. It did not bring Glory to God. It made me look small to a person who is thoroughly convinced I'm just putting on a show by my faith.
God help me if that were true. The second reason goes to the first story I told about the commentator and pastor last night. It's kind of a "knife that cuts both ways" theory. If people tell us they've changed and we don't let them prove it to us, are we right to just judge them on past behavior? If we are showing someone our worst, should we be surprised when they don't show us their best? In a sense, if we overlook the tangible things that people do that show they've changed in favor of the mistakes they make along the way, then are we seeing the forest for the trees?
The other side of that knife contains this bit of wisdom that cuts as deep to the bone as the first, and it's a mistake I didn't realize I'd made until I started writing this. It goes to something I'm as guilty of as the candidate in question. It's this:
I asked someone to overcome my past entirely, yet a comment here or there undoes anything I might do or say that is positive and encouraging. The very huge lesson today is to remember that when dealing with the people in my past, with the relationships I've dealt with, is to not try and run for 'president' when what I should be doing is running for dog catcher and working my way up. I keep this thought in mind at church, wanting to serve the Lord but recognizing that I'm no place where I ought to be and that's only going to come with time.
I'm a baseball fan. I don't follow it like I used to but I love the game and another take-away I just came to is this one. I keep trying to win the game by hitting a home run and keep striking out. Clearly, what was called for in this particular situation was a sacrifice bunt. I missed the bunt sign and swung away.
We live, we learn, we grow. But today I noticed that there's a forest in those trees...
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