Pay attention to your own defects of character...even when you're surrounded
Religion is so confusing to me. Last week a pastor came in to report another heartbreaking scenario. He was in a committee meeting and one of his fellow staff members said, “When are we going to rid ourselves of the stench of this guy?”
If I hadn’t actually known and worked with this stinky guy they were referring to in the meeting, then maybe I would have just nodded and listened well. Instead, a hot rage rose up within me. Stench? Really? If by stench you mean faithful, hardworking, caring, driven, skilled, creative, sacrificial, principled and loyal - well, he does reek with the FRAGRANCE of a godly man. I wonder if that smells offensive to those who do not share his same spiritual DNA. But that raises another question. Who WOULDN’T long to be a person for whom others would describe as: faithful, hardworking, caring, driven, skilled, creative, sacrificial, principled and loyal? I am so confused. The following morning I turned to my prearranged bible reading for the day and found this waiting for my hurting heart:
“Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity.
Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed
with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main things, not
what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your
pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped
down and burned.
~ Matthew 7:15-20 The Message
So here we go, with this warning and directional invitation. Look for character. Where? In ourselves. My work is to not judge the character of any of the participants in this ongoing albeit tragic drama (and it is to my own shame that I do judge the guy who said such a naughty thing). My work is to examine my own reactions to life and get curious about who I am and who I intend to become. There is great liberation in releasing all forms of critique and judgment. I may not be able to stop the instantaneous reaction my body has to all the stories told in whisper behind my closed door. But I can pause to consider who I am as I listen and respond. In the next set of blog posts, we will wrestle with how to handle those days when we are confronted with our own reactions that do not match our intentions for who we want to be in this world. How about you? Who do you spend more time noticing - the actions of others, or the reactions of yourself?
