Thursday, September 13, 2007

Three Pointing Back

I realized a very liberating piece of truth today. That truth is that I am usually right and people around me are usually wrong. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to discover this fact of life. Now whenever someone questions me or disagrees with me I can laugh inside with full knowledge that this person is obviously mistaken. I am actually embarrassed that it took me so long to find the freedom in this new knowledge but now that I possess this information I vow to live it out each day.
Allow me to illustrate this liberation through an everyday example. When I am in a hurry and weaving through traffic, it never fails that the drivers around me are the ones too slow or too unskilled to understand that I have places to be and that I need to quickly maneuver around their wasted pile of metal. With my new information about my own superiority over all people, it helps me to ease up a little and to offer grace for these people do not live up where I exist. I now actually pity others for not possessing the same superior qualities that I have been given.
One other area that this indisputable truth shows its ugly head is when I deal with other people in leadership roles. Apparently I am the only one who knows the right way to lead and the right things to say. I don’t know why it is so hard for others to realize that I am quite easy to work with because I am not wrong. All they have to do is stay out of my way and everyone will be successful and happy. If others would just recognize my unquestionable wisdom, then they would humbly accept my input when I point out the flaws in their lives.
It is my ease of finding flaws in others and my ability to demonstrate my superior skills in a world that never measures up that led me to the discovery of this irrefutable truth about my knowledge. There really is no other explanation for my eminent wisdom, and ability to judge. No other explanation unless you agree with my friend who says, “We find fault in other people usually because those are the same faults we struggle with”.
I’m not sure I want to agree with that statement because it sounds a bit like Jesus’ principle of, “Do not judge or you will be judged by the same measure”. It is as if Jesus said what my friend says. I am judged by the same measure because it is often the same sin in my own life. If this is true and if I am not all knowing, that would mean that when others around me are “bad drivers”, then maybe I should recognize the bad driver is looking in my mirror. When I easily see the flaws in another person, I need to ask myself why that flaw looks so familiar and easy to recognize.
Perhaps this is the truly liberating truth. The truth that says God alone is judge and all of my thoughts fail in comparison. All of the judgments thrown at me from other people also fall short in comparison to the thoughts that my God has towards me. To be truly liberated I must remember that all the “idiots” around me and all the shortcomings of others can only accurately be assessed through the eyes of a perfect God. And when I find myself taking on the role of judge and point my finger, I need only to look down and see that I have three pointing back.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

all I can say is that I am going to miss YOU!! This is a great blog ... a litle convicting .... okay, okay ALOT!
Thanks.
Melis

patricia said...

I always thought you were a crazy driver! oops! does that reveal what a bad driver I am??
=)

Anonymous said...

Great points here man! I was thinking about similar stuff recently. Really not pretty when you stop to examine how you react in different situations or the thoughts that cross your mind when you see people who are "different" than you.

lindachenot said...

and i thought i was married to the best driver...i always learn so much from his helpful suggestions to others as we drive...
i love your insights into human-ness. we are truely blind. thank God that He loves us inspite of our crooked hearts!
i will miss you and your family at MHC! It will be hard fur us to have the loss, but you will gain so much in your next chapter in Jerusalem. i hope you will keep in touch.
love linda

Ryan said...

Melissa- I hope this was convicting. I wrote it for you... everyone knows I don't need to hear this.

Patricia- Yes.

Steve- Truth hurts.

Linda- thank you. We will miss your family as well.

Tandra said...

quote- ". No other explanation unless you agree with my friend who says, “We find fault in other people usually because those are the same faults we struggle with”."
***********************************
Great. Just great. You just validated what I thought MIGHT be true.(eyes wide open now) But I think I have 9 fingers pointing back at me.
I need to go turn the light on..and go look at my son. Maybe hes not really what I think about him. :(


Good wished for you and your family Ryan.

Kevin said...

Hey Ryan,

Just curious to know if you will keep posting during your new journey.