After I reset the furniture in her room in about 15 minutes,
my mother-in-law remarked, “You move so fast, Jerry. How do you get so much done
so quickly?” I chuckled. She is 84 and does not move with speed. I
got the work done while she was still thinking about which piece to move first.
My quickness is both a curse and a blessing. I like things done now, finished well: wrapped up and presented with a bow, so to
speak. But, that trait also makes me an impatient man. I like to get to the
finish, resolve the issue, get the reward, enjoy the fruit of efforts. How about
you?
If I have learned anything in my 6 decades, it is that life
is mostly process. Our daily
choices are woven into a complex network that involves the decisions of other
people, with results that are affected by conditions outside of our control. Life has so many unforeseen consequences. It is a twisting, winding path one despite my best efforts at efficiency and my
aim at gaining best results. That is why I try not
to jump to conclusions about others or their situations, in a way I might have
done as a younger man. I realize that
where they are today grows from roots that spring from the decisions made in
days and years past, but that trying to connect straight lines of cause
and effect is largely beyond my
wisdom.
That is one reason Jesus warns us against judging others. " “Do not judge, or you
too will be judged." (Matthew 7:1, NIV) Do not be quick to call others to account, to
question their motives, to tell them that you know why they are in that situation. What a temptation we face in this
regard sometimes, right? It just seems so obvious to us what our friend needs
to change, how he should act, the choices he needs to make! “Come
on,” we think, “what’s wrong with you? Why don’t you just get it together?” I hear
your objection, “So, Jerry, are you suggesting that we just ignore the poor
decisions, the sinful choices that our brothers make?”
Ready to pounce, having jumped to conclusions? Consider this wisdom of the Word. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a
sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or
you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will
fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing,
he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take
pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one
should carry his own load." (Galatians 6:1-5, NIV) That passage seems to be contradictory in
regard to our responsibilities, doesn’t it?
We are told to carry each other’s burdens, but then we read that everyone
should carry his own load. Digging deeper, we see that we must help one another
with life’s crushing burdens all the while realizing that we must accept
personal responsibility for ourselves. It is a familiar theme in God’s Word. We are
part of His Body, called into close community, as inseparable as eye and ear
and foot! Yet, we are seen by our Creator with our individual gifts and opportunities
which He desires that we use in the best ways.
Choose well,
today, Christian. Hear the caution and promise of these words that continue
from the passage above. "Don’t be
misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The
person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—
harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the
one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in
him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let’s not allow ourselves
to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we
don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let
us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the
community of faith." (Galatians 6:7-10, The Message) Wisdom!
Lord, help us to live the process, to wait for the results,
not to rush to judgment. Amen.
