Posts Tagged: personal struggles

“YOU DON’T KNOW—AND NEITHER DO I!”  

On November 23, 2016 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

 

I recently overheard a conversation between two people at an adjoining table in a restaurant.  I am somewhat acquainted with one of them.  He seems frequently sarcastic and ill-tempered.  I have been on the receiving end of some of his tirades.

From what I could hear of the conversation, it sounded as if he and his wife (or girlfriend?) were breaking up, and that it was getting ugly.

Of course, you might be tempted to think (as I was tempted to think) that his sarcasm and temper are the reason why the relation is coming apart.

However, once in a while God’s Holy Spirit enables me to overcome temptation, and feel a small fraction of the compassion that God’s loving heart feels toward us all.  Instead of going all judgmental, I thought that perhaps this ill-tempered man is the way he is due to this horrendously painful breakup.

And then I generalized the matter: Perhaps I might try cutting more slack for everyone who seems unkind.  Maybe I could simple say to myself, “Self, this person is probably having some terrible struggles.  You don’t know!”

“The heart knows its own bitterness”says the first part of Proverbs 14:10.  The implication is that no one else knows that bitterness.  You and I don’t know!

The only person for whom I ought not—perhaps—to make such allowances is myself.  I need to hold myself to a high standard in terms of my own behavior.  If I make too many allowances for myself, these allowances will likely shade off into excuses in a hurry.

But, for others, I might try remembering this simple but important fact the next time someone is unkind to me or unreasonable with me: I don’t know!

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