❀ ❁ January 18th ❀ ❁
"[T]o speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to
show every courtesy to everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves
to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy,
despicable, hating one another.” Titus
3:2-3, NRSVCE
In the 1500s a preacher named John Bradford used to say, “There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford" as he watched criminals head for the local scaffold. He recognized that he too could have just as easily known no other life that that of a common malefactor. (And in fact, Bradford did meet a gruesome end; he was martyred by fire in 1555. His last words were reported as, "We shall have a merry supper with the Lord this night.”)
I have a friend who describes certain people as “pat themselves on the back” Christians. He bristles at folks who talk among themselves about how they have the truth and seem to have contempt for those who still walk in the darkness.
It is easy for many of us to forget all the mistakes and missteps we have taken in our lives. Many of us have been a bad choice away from losing our jobs or our homes. One wrong move and our lives could be totally changed. We need to remember this in our relationships with everyone from ex-husbands to cashiers at the mall. Meeting others where they are in is paramount in not only evangelizing, but in being Christ’s hands and feet. Stopping to recognize everyone has a different life experience, giving others the benefit of the doubt, will go a long way.
Pray for the grace to recognize where we are not courteous to others, where we are rough, and what our part is in drama and conflict.
Ask Him to guide us today to show others the patience and respect that they deserve as children of God, expecting nothing in return.
No comments:
Post a Comment