Galatians 5:14-15 (NKJV)
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Many people have a critical spirit. I know I do. They are always complaining or criticizing someone or something. Being around a person like that is depressing. According to them, there is nothing good around. It can really bring you down! Anyone who criticizes another is damaging their spirit.
In Galatians, Paul reminds us that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to care for others and nurture each other. He warns us not to devour one another. Have you ever listened to a negative person talk about an opportunity? They dissect it, tearing it all apart with all the reasons why it will not work out. It is no wonder they don’t realize their dreams. How about you? Do you look for the reasons why or the reasons why not? What you seek is what you will find.
There is a saying which goes “Dog got to be man’s best friend by wagging its tail and not its tongue.” When you come home, your dog is always happy to see you. Our dog, Milo, smiles when we come in the door and the tail is going crazy wagging. He is excited to see us and we are excited to be home with him. What if people were to show that kind of excitement toward each other? Would this be a better world? Would we not use angry words toward one another? Could we refrain from biting each other’s head off? Try it! The next encounter you have where a person is cranky, try smiling at them. Refuse to get in a bad mood just because they are. They may have had an awful day. Tell them you are happy to see them. Ask them to tell you about their day and listen intently. There may be nothing you can do to help. Listening may be enough. Once they have been heard, you can work toward a better future since you cannot change the past.
We all get in bad moods. Is that where you want to stay? I am trying a little experiment. I have resolved that I want to say yes more often. My background leads me to “no” too often. When asked a question, I pause and think. How can I say yes? What will it take? The other day, our 8 year old wanted to know about winding the clocks and how clocks work. I stopped to consider how I could say yes. I got the step stool out, lifted him up on it and taught him how to wind a clock. I will be showing him how a clock works soon. What if I said no? He would not have learned anything and neither of us would be very happy. Why not promote happiness? Wag your tail (symbolically) instead of your tongue and say yes!
Father, we thank you for all the blessings you put in our lives. Help us to recognize each person and situation for the blessing they really are. Lead us to speak peace and love into the lives of others. Teach us to love our neighbors as our selves. Oh yes, remind us that we are also to treat ourselves well. Let us not use our mouth to bite but to smile! In your name we pray. Amen!