At the very least TB, offer a smile, that can go a long ways. Smiling here is more of a grimace this morn.......minus ten (my apologies for the continual weather reports in my comments).......:)
Nylon12, I look forward to your Winter weather reports! If nothing else, they always give me something to be grateful for as the weather we have is never quite as cold!
Smiles and kindness cost nothing, but can be infinitely valuable.
Leigh, I am surprised at how much more conscious I have become over this year at my speech. I am not sure that it is directly related, but it seems much more prevalent in my thoughts.
Hmmm, striking me a bit off (might be alone in this). Humility doesn't equal peace, lest a Certain Carpenter wouldn't have driven moneylenders with a whip. I could keep going. While those are situationally desirable, humility is not situationally based.
John, I can give you my thinking at least - like most things, your mileage may vary.
I started by reversing the statements in my mind:
"Did I offer conflict today? Did I ruin a smile on someone's face? Did I injure someone with my words? Did I hold on to my anger and resentment? Did I hate?" Did I reject an opportunity to forgive?
Those statements (hopefully) the sorts of things most Christians would not seek to practice. And even if we do not take the literal meaning of the law, I am confronted the Sermon of the Mount where it is the moral underpinning of the action that is a sin, not just the commission of it (anger at a brother instead of murder, lust instead of adultery).
But all of those statements originate from a statement of pride: I am right. I have the power - and maybe the duty - to impact people negatively, all in the service of God. Perhaps there are people that genuinely see that distinction, but I cannot. I can see the lives of people who have been impacted by prideful Christians though.
Even the fact of asking Nouwen's question is an exercise - at least for me - in humility: Am I acting out the Gospel and calling myself out when I fail?
There was time - arguably when I was much younger, but it still can persist - where I was supremely confident in my interpretation of God's will and God's word. A great deal of that, in retrospect, was a lot more about me than God.
Comments are welcome (and necessary, for good conversation). If you could take the time to be kind and not practice profanity, it would be appreciated. Thanks for posting!
At the very least TB, offer a smile, that can go a long ways. Smiling here is more of a grimace this morn.......minus ten (my apologies for the continual weather reports in my comments).......:)
ReplyDeleteNylon12, I look forward to your Winter weather reports! If nothing else, they always give me something to be grateful for as the weather we have is never quite as cold!
DeleteSmiles and kindness cost nothing, but can be infinitely valuable.
The weather at 7am was a brisk 15f and climbing to a balmy 18f. Things to be grateful for this very bright morn is the lack of any fluffy white stuff.
ReplyDeleteWow! Here we are enjoying our balmy mid-50's with the sky spitting rain off and on all day.
DeleteAs one who tends to worry over what I'm to say, I try to ask instead to be a blessing.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I am surprised at how much more conscious I have become over this year at my speech. I am not sure that it is directly related, but it seems much more prevalent in my thoughts.
DeleteHmmm, striking me a bit off (might be alone in this). Humility doesn't equal peace, lest a Certain Carpenter wouldn't have driven moneylenders with a whip. I could keep going. While those are situationally desirable, humility is not situationally based.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I can give you my thinking at least - like most things, your mileage may vary.
DeleteI started by reversing the statements in my mind:
"Did I offer conflict today?
Did I ruin a smile on someone's face?
Did I injure someone with my words?
Did I hold on to my anger and resentment?
Did I hate?"
Did I reject an opportunity to forgive?
Those statements (hopefully) the sorts of things most Christians would not seek to practice. And even if we do not take the literal meaning of the law, I am confronted the Sermon of the Mount where it is the moral underpinning of the action that is a sin, not just the commission of it (anger at a brother instead of murder, lust instead of adultery).
But all of those statements originate from a statement of pride: I am right. I have the power - and maybe the duty - to impact people negatively, all in the service of God. Perhaps there are people that genuinely see that distinction, but I cannot. I can see the lives of people who have been impacted by prideful Christians though.
Even the fact of asking Nouwen's question is an exercise - at least for me - in humility: Am I acting out the Gospel and calling myself out when I fail?
There was time - arguably when I was much younger, but it still can persist - where I was supremely confident in my interpretation of God's will and God's word. A great deal of that, in retrospect, was a lot more about me than God.
Well, I saved and printed that out to read and contemplate some more. Thanks, TB.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Becki. I saved a copy on my phone as well.
DeleteI have started asking these questions of myself at night. They are pretty powerful.