Read
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
Reflect
Tara was certain that Sydney was avoiding her. They were best friends, but Sydney hadn’t returned her call in a couple of days. Sure, she knew that Sydney was busy, but that couldn’t be it. She was sure that something was wrong, and Sydney was keeping it from her. After a day of stewing about things, Tara finally decided to call, but she got her friend’s voicemail. Instead of hanging up, she left a message chastising her friend for not being more open with her. Tara’s message was that true friends don’t keep things from each other and they trust each other with their problems.
Sydney got the message, and she was perplexed. Yes, she’d been a little distant, but it wasn’t because of a problem. She had been studying for finals all week, and she had lined up a couple of phone interviews for jobs that really interested her. She had planned on calling Tara at the end of the week, but now there was this voicemail.
So Sydney did what she thought was the right thing. She called Tara, asked her to stay calm and reassured her that nothing was wrong. And Tara … blew up at Sydney. “How dare you accuse me of not being calm!” Her tirade lasted for several minutes after which she hung up on her friend. Or should I say, a former friend? A friendship that had been forged over the past two years was disintegrated in a day. (And this is more or less a true story. I know the people involved, though their names have been changed.)
People can tell a lot about us from the way we respond to correction or criticism. Are we open to scrutiny? Or do we resist correction and hold ourselves above questioning? Some people place a protective shield around themselves that says, “Don’t question me. I am the total authority about myself (and maybe about other people, too).” This type of unapproachable attitude ultimately tells other people (and even God), “Leave me alone.”
It’s far better to drop your guard, lower your protective forcefield and expose your motives by comparing them to the will of God. All of us should be open to correction and questions such as:
- What is the reason behind your actions?
- Why do you say yes or no?
- Why did you send that email (or letter, or text, or voicemail)?
- Why are we excited by this opportunity?
- What is causing us to bring up this subject?
Truthful answers to these and other questions will tend to reveal our true motives, and our motives point to the things that are most important to us. Ultimately, no matter how self-assured we are of our own correctness, we are accountable to God for everything we think, say and do. So make sure your actions toward others are those that would make him proud.
Reflection copyright © 2022 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
