It is quite apparent how people live in misconceptions on almost about everything. Myself included. At times I wish I knew the things I know now earlier in life so I could have made better decisions. Guess life really brings lessons only after the tests. Life teaches through series of situational exams and our response determines the outcome. But I do not believe that there is such thing as “failure”. Mistakes may have been made but they are not equivalent to failure. I’d rather take them as take away lessons the teacher did not intend to teach. It is more like a discovery while we are striving for something else. And come to think of it…discoveries, though they normally come as accidental finds, they turn into something of true value. So it dawned on me that most of the priceless things in life are not the ones we strive after – perfection, excellence, i.e. – rather, they are the ones we so try to avoid – errors, mistakes, i.e. – yet we end up stumbling over.
In times when I encounter difficulty that seem to stay longer than I wish it to, I get to question what I believe in. Like, “I thought God intends to prosper and not to harm” ???!!! At other times, I ask if the same "promise" is intended for everyone. Does He intend the same for me? It is during tough times that people are tested of what they are truly made of. One can never truly say they believe in something until what they believe in is tried. Do I only believe anything when things are promising? Or can I still believe even when there is no proof of its truth? This is the challenge.
Am I talking about just faith by putting all my thoughts down on this note in this manner? Is it even a test of faith that this is all about? When life gets hard and things start tearing me apart…and I faint…and I question…does it automatically translate to lack of faith? Or faith is rather challenged? What I do know is…God is an All-Knowing God. He knows none of His creations have faith enough to survive this life. He is aware of the frailty of man and how they will always falter. Does He condemn having little faith? If there is anything I am so sure of…it is that God understands people through Christ. In the Eyes of Jesus and through His Heart that God looks at His creations. Not at the superficial. Not outwardly.
There are people who seem so unbreaking, unbending on the outside yet torn in the inside. There are those who are so shattered outwardly, but gains strength within. How will God deal with situations where people can mask their misdeeds with well-decorated words and dedication to ministry, and yet murder others through malicious talks? They appear like sheep in the eyes of everyone, yet they’re like wolves in their inner being…always on the look out for another prey. They dress themselves with much embellishments, but on the inside are clutters of toxic elements like that of a volcano just waiting to explode. God sees what the human eyes can’t. What people judge to be right may not be necessarily and absolutely right in the bigger scheme of things. Even the ugly mistakes every person commit have contribution to a bigger whole.
One must never say, “had I been wise I could have done better…achieved better.” Yes, it is noble. True, if things were done perfectly, it could’ve saved the world from chaos. The ripple effect could have been astounding. But there is no such thing as “perfect”. Life will always present troubles we are not always ready to face, yet we are left with no other choice but to face them. We may run from them all we want but without guarantee that they will never show up again. Thing is, they do. And the next time they come, they are more brusque.
I describe it like a computer game. You need to face all challenges in your current level. You remain there unless you figure out how to get to the next. And when you do, you will face more and tougher challenges. The challenges from the previous level may appear, but they've become easy as a pie now because you've already mastered them. You also get to use ammo and elixirs from the earlier levels. And you need to keep collecting more. So is with life. You will be thrown varieties of challenges. You do not learn by just watching other people how they do life. You gotta live it yourself and keep learning. You often think you already know what to do until you are in a situation yourself. And you don’t always do things right. Mistakes happen and they are what teach you to do things better next time. You just tell yourself, “now I know. I’ll do better after this.”
And we are this forgiving of ourselves more than we are forgiving of other’s follies. We are prone to criticize how others are so wrong in how they handle things. In stead of helping lift their burden, we put on more. We make them loathe themselves til they succumb to self-pity, then to hopelessness. We are so good at pointing fingers at, we do not even consider how we'll do should we be in the situation the person we are judging is in. We just think we are so good. We are so right. We do things perfectly. Until trouble shows us that what we think is wrong.
Pride makes us believe we are better than who we judge. But we need to be careful not to stumble when the storm of life comes and our very own stand gets tried. Our struggles may be different from those we judge and theirs may not be our struggles. But, this is the very reason why the Word tells us to, “bear with each others’ burdens” and “be tolerant with one another.” We need to be kinder to everyone who we meet along our journeys and we must not be harsh with the words we use to speak about their troubles. Because they are the ones carrying the loads not us. Why should we pin point what we perceive as their stupidity? Will that help them? Will that change their fate? Will that have any effect on us either? Judging others is simply pointless. No bearing. No contribution neither to others nor to ourselves.
In this life, it all boils down to but one absolute Truth – we can do nothing good apart from God. We may believe our innate good, but within, lies another truth about our selfishness. For why do we have the need to judge others? Does that contribute to the welfare of anyone, including ourselves? But we judge out of selfish desire to exhibit our perceived wisdom and understanding about things. We are too selfish we do not intend to think for the welfare of another so we just hurl at them whatever we feel like whether it is beneficial for them or not. It makes us feel so good about ourselves that we seem to be better than who we are judging, when our acts already echoes our foolishness. We are no better given the same situation without God’s help. We can boast about nothing of our own. “None is righteous, no not one.”
My train of thoughts can go on and on but here are the things that summarize all them:
1. Mistakes are part of life. No one is immune. It does not define anyone; it intends to contribute to the well-being just with the right response.
2. Our faith will always be challenged. We must never give in to guilt when we start questioning things. It only shows we are thriving.
3. God supplies faith through Jesus. No one can boast about having greater faith than the other. It is only God Who decides who really has faith.
4. People put on a facade according to how they want to be seen. We can fool others to please them and gain their applause, but we cannot hide from God. Must not matter if we gain recognition from people when God sees the true motive of the heart.
5. Regret does not help. We must only pick up every lesson we can in every situation.
6. There is nothing else to do but to keep moving. Keep learning. Keep gaining strength. Do not stop even when life gets hard.
7. As we are tolerant of our mistakes and sins, we must also be gracious when others are erring. We need not compare how we do things better because that do not lift up another’s load.
8. God alone is to be glorified not ourselves. If we did excellently, let alone God glorify who He wants to glorify.
It’s never about a single person doing great things, after all. It is about God using anyone and everyone to bring about His greater purpose for all His creations. Each one of us is just but part of the puzzle. We are the pieces. Each one is significant. When one is missing, our concern must be to look for it. Otherwise, the puzzle won’t be complete. God does not concern Himself beautifying only some and neglecting others. That is why He commands everyone to have sincere love for one another. He NEVER said, “go build establishments and assemble people there.” He said, “go and spread love everywhere you go because you, each one of you, are my Church. I dwell in you and I will that you bear fruit for the benefit of the entire body. Not just the parts that are useful, the rich, the ones who go to good schools, those who always do right, the healthy, the strong…I care about every single piece that completes the puzzle. I do not care about your opinion of them. I listen not to your judgment of them. In fact, I told you not to judge and condemn. I taught compassion. Do unto others what you want them to do to you. Outdo others in doing good. Do not think so highly of yourselves. Show to the erring person your love because the suffering (s)he is experiencing because of his/her sin is already unbearable. Do not inflict guilt. Do not slander anyone. Love sincerely.”
The Bible reading believers must know God’s decrees and apply them in their lives. They ought not to impose them on others as they see fit. We are all in a relationship with God and He deals with His children differently according to their personality, attitude, and character. He handles them according to their designs. He alone knows His own products. We need not meddle with that by criticizing how poorly-made a design is. In essence, we judge not the creation but the Creator.
Simply live in love. If you can’t, just shut up.
“By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”
―
The Cost of Discipleship
.png)
