Leviticus 4-5 / Mark 2:13-3:6 / Psalm 36 / Proverbs 10:1-2
Anyone who knows me well knows that my family and I love people as they are. We don’t just say that; we believe and practice loving people no matter where they are in life. We don’t try to fix them or change them; we love them and trust God to do the fixing and changing. For that reason, I love two portions from today’s reading.
Mark 2:15-17 where Jesus is invited to the house of a tax collector, a hated person in Jewish society, and He is criticized by the Pharisees for doing so. His response is that healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. Jesus knew where He was going to be received and He understood the hearts of those who knew their need for Him.
I also love verses 7-8 in Psalm 26. All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.
Only a generous, loving God (or person) allows others to find shelter with Him. Only a discerning man or woman will feed someone from his abundance.
It’s easy to see the faults of others while overlooking our own. I guess that’s human nature – to look without ourselves instead of within. But what if we chose to look within FIRST? If we did, I think we would be more concerned with changing ourselves instead of others, trusting that others are able to look within to find what needs adjustment.
Most of us are painfully aware of our shortcomings; we don’t need others to remind us. I’ve heard it said that people grow more with positive reinforcement than they do with criticism. What if we looked for the positive in others and praised them for that? I believe it would cause them to rise to the occasion and work to amend the weak areas in their lives.
We have a saying at our house – it’s easy to be Captain Obvious and point out the negative. What if we looked beyond the obvious to find the deep inner beauty in others?
Who can you find beauty in today? I bet you’ll change that person’s day and life!
