"If It Weren't For Them....!"

Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.

Colossians 4:5-6

I hear this, and have said this, time and time again: "If it weren't for those _______ (vindictive, fake, hypocritical, ignorant, stupid, lying, insert your own grumble) people there, I might attend that church, group, meeting, soire....  

Mohandis Gandhi was said to have stated, "I would be a Christian....if it weren't for the christians."  While we might chuckle at such a claim or perhaps be aghast by that statement, it rings so very true. Christians have a reputation for being judgmental, arrogant, hypocritical, ignorant, intolerant, fake, vindictive, and so many other things, and the sad part is, that reputation is well deserved!  We have earned that reputation!

And here's the kicker, bad reputations aren't limited to Christians!  They run the gamut of every aspect of life.  People see how we treat each other and they are either appalled or intrigued.  If they are appalled, then our reputation takes a hit.  If they are intrigued, our reputation gets a star.  But our actions MUST be genuine!

One of the things I have learned from dealing with people for most of my living years, is that you can wear a mask for a while, but masks have the tendency to slip off and your true self is revealed.  Believe it or not, we CAN change aspects of ourselves without surgery or having to purchase some "system."  It takes practice!  Want to be nicer to people, then consciously practice being nicer to people.  If you slip up, apologize and keep on practicing.

Everything we do, everything we say, every act we commit, is observed by someone and they will see when your mask slips.