By: T. Meeuwsen
As a parent I want my children to be
gentle and generous of spirit in their evaluation of others. It’s easy to be
critical of people who are unlovely or annoying; it’s inadvertent and
spontaneous for us to compare ourselves to people whom we encounter, read
about, or even see in the media. This activity leaves us feeling either
superior or inferior. How should we react to people who are unlovely or
annoying to us?
I took my daughter, Tory, to Atlantic
City, New Jersey, for the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Miss American
Pageant. A big reunion of former Miss Americas was planned, and forty-four of
us were returning. A special book had been commissioned to commemorate the
anniversary. Tory went armed with the book and a pen, determined to get every
autograph.
As we walked along the board walk, I was
struck by the incredible dichotomy before us. Flashing lights and glittering
displays lit the boardwalk. Pageant attendees were dressed to the nines in
tuxedos and dresses that sparkled. In the midst of it all, homeless people
curled up alongside the buildings. Beggars, many of them handicapped, were
playing harmonicas or holding out hopeful cups.
As I watched my daughter look with
admiration and awe at all the “beautiful” people, I prayed, Lord, help her to
see past the trimmings. Teach her to find her identity in You – not in her
family or her possessions or her accomplishments. Help us both, as women of
God, to see people the way You see them. And, Lord, when we come upon people
who’ve lost track of who they are, help us to slow down and acknowledge them.
James 1:22-27 says, “But be doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a
hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face
in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what
kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and
continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one
will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious,
and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion
is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to
visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from
the world.”
It’s easy to love the lovely, but
speaking gentle words from a kind and forgiving heart when you’ve been wronged
or provoked is a work of the Holy Spirit. It happens when we give up our agenda
and grab hold of God’s.
Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to
you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one
another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for
one another” (John 13:34-35).
Lord, forgive me for judging others
harshly and speaking critically. Help me to remember how much You have forgiven
in my own life. I want to reflect You to all I meet, and especially to my
children. Use my words to bring wholeness and healing.
Note:
Orig Title - Love Bears All Things
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