A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.
2 Timothy 2:24-25
I admit it, I can be a bit of an antagonist at times, usually more for my own selfish amusement rather than seeking to justify a position on a topic. As a matter of fact, I was wholeheartedly in favor of school segregation with the students being in one building and the teachers in a completely different building. It actually sounded quite advantageous to me....my parents, on the other hand, found no amusement in my ideas
As I have gotten older, I have witnessed countless protests and groups of people being offended by some other group. We become offended because of the tiniest and, yes, silliest things. It's as if we seek out reasons to be offended. Everyone is so busy being upset and offended that no one seems to be returning to common sense or seeking actual solutions to REAL issues!
Here's my point, Paul reminds us that we are to be kind to all. Imaging how disarming simply being kind and respectful can be? You see, when we get upset because others are upset, what difference are we making? However, if we remain calm when everyone else is upset, people will notice and begin to ask questions as to why we are different.
And here's one truth to always keep in mind; THIS isn't our real home anyway! We are merely passing through for a few short years. And spending those few short years angry, upset, frustrated, and generally unpleasant to be around, is not very appealing, is it?
No comments:
Post a Comment