I have learned a lot of things over the years, among them these: No matter how well you keep your house, the morning that you get busy with something early on and decide to finish before you dress and do the usual morning chores, will always be the morning the neighbor stops by and finds you still in your bathrobe at 11, the breakfast dishes scattered over the countertop, and the bed unmade—and the more you try to explain that this is unusual for you, the more unbelievable you will sound. When someone tells you a joke you don’t “get,” you will suddenly comprehend the punch line and laugh raucously the next morning while standing at the checkout behind a woman who has just told the cashier that her mother has a terminal illness. And your baby will always choose the moment after the preacher reads Hab 2:20, Jehovah is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him, to fill his diaper as noisily as possible.
Part of learning how to live is learning how to cope with annoyances and embarrassments on an every day basis, realizing that you are not the only one this happens to.
So why do we let disappointments ruin our faith so easily? Yes, the church is God’s perfect institution, but as long as it is filled with people like you and me, it will not always behave itself perfectly. Even the chosen twelve had a Judas among them. Even the first Christians had a couple like Ananias and Sapphira, who gave for the praise they would receive rather than from a heart of love. Even the first church had instances of social bias that caused uproar over the care of widows. Yet they got over it, continuing to work and grow by leaps and bounds. Why can’t we?
It is good to have ideals, but be realistic as well. God will never disappoint you, but His people will. Until you can present to them a perfect example of righteousness, don’t expect them to do so for you. Rather, understand that we are all growing together.
Someone someday will lie about you, perhaps even a Christian. Realize this—most of the time they don’t even know they are lying. For some reason or other their attitude of depression or bitterness at that moment has put a winding road in their ear canals that twists everything they hear into something hurtful. By the time they tell someone else what they “heard,” they really think that is exactly what you said. You know what? It won’t kill you. People who know you (or the other person) will either dismiss the comment entirely or ask you about it, giving you a chance to set the record straight. Anyone who believes it has their own problems to deal with. In ten years, no one will care, because no one will remember. I know. These days it only costs me one night of sleep instead of a year’s worth of worry. Progress!
Stop expecting perfection where there is none. Stop blaming God for the sins of His children. Remember to whom you were converted—to the Lord, and not to a group of forgiven sinners who sometimes backslide. Learn not to expect more than you can deliver yourself. It’s a whole lot easier on your faith.
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come...For there must be also factions among you, that they that are approved may be made manifest among you. Luke 17:11; 1 Cor 11:19.
Dene Ward
Part of learning how to live is learning how to cope with annoyances and embarrassments on an every day basis, realizing that you are not the only one this happens to.
So why do we let disappointments ruin our faith so easily? Yes, the church is God’s perfect institution, but as long as it is filled with people like you and me, it will not always behave itself perfectly. Even the chosen twelve had a Judas among them. Even the first Christians had a couple like Ananias and Sapphira, who gave for the praise they would receive rather than from a heart of love. Even the first church had instances of social bias that caused uproar over the care of widows. Yet they got over it, continuing to work and grow by leaps and bounds. Why can’t we?
It is good to have ideals, but be realistic as well. God will never disappoint you, but His people will. Until you can present to them a perfect example of righteousness, don’t expect them to do so for you. Rather, understand that we are all growing together.
Someone someday will lie about you, perhaps even a Christian. Realize this—most of the time they don’t even know they are lying. For some reason or other their attitude of depression or bitterness at that moment has put a winding road in their ear canals that twists everything they hear into something hurtful. By the time they tell someone else what they “heard,” they really think that is exactly what you said. You know what? It won’t kill you. People who know you (or the other person) will either dismiss the comment entirely or ask you about it, giving you a chance to set the record straight. Anyone who believes it has their own problems to deal with. In ten years, no one will care, because no one will remember. I know. These days it only costs me one night of sleep instead of a year’s worth of worry. Progress!
Stop expecting perfection where there is none. Stop blaming God for the sins of His children. Remember to whom you were converted—to the Lord, and not to a group of forgiven sinners who sometimes backslide. Learn not to expect more than you can deliver yourself. It’s a whole lot easier on your faith.
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come...For there must be also factions among you, that they that are approved may be made manifest among you. Luke 17:11; 1 Cor 11:19.
Dene Ward
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