Notice Something?

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2 

I read a story recently of a teacher who went to the board on the first day of class and wrote the following:

9x1=7

9x2=18

9x3=27

9x4=36

9x5= 45

She heard laughter when she wrote the first equation and heard the whispers of how the teacher was too stupid to see her mistake throughout the rest of her display.  After several minutes of letting the giggles and criticisms continue, she turned to the class and said, "I noticed that you saw my mistake.  You laughed and criticized me for it.  Yet you paid no attention to the major portion of the table I got correct.  Is that how I should grade your work?  If you get one wrong you fail?"  The class was silent after that.

How many times are we just like that class?  We ignore the positive things others say and do, so we can judge them for a mistake?  It's in times like this that we tend to forget the words of Christ, "Do to others as you would have done to you." Think about this a little differently, would you want others to focus only on your mistakes (real or perceived) rather than your contributions?