POINT AT YOURSELF

We live in a world where it is normal, and even accepted, to blame others. Even when WE are in the wrong. Blame shifting is a way to divert attention away from us and place it anywhere else. To avoid the conflict, awkwardness, embarrassment, tension, etc.

This is so common that we even read scripture for ammo and utilize it as a weapon.

The Bible works best when it is personalized. Not used to launch an assault on others.

When you open the Bible asking God to speak to you, it is amazing how little time you have to point fingers at others.

Look at this verse as one example:

"Search ME, God, and know MY heart; test ME and know MY anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in ME, and lead ME in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

You see that. Our prayers and our studies of scripture are intended to be personal. Only then are we in a position to help others.

We need to make sure that we are not pointing out faults in others without addressing our own faults. That makes us look like busybodies who do not practice what we preach.



Before you, or I, point our fingers in condemnation, let us commit to first pointing at ourselves. Evaluating and comparing our own lives to God's standard before taking aim at our friends and others.

Point at yourself. You may learn something. You may discover your greatest, most challenging, most rewarding project.

Silver Linings pt 2

We all have a big grey cloud we COULD focus on.  You know, all the negative aspects of our situations & circumstances.  

I believe with all my heart that those who make the greatest difference in this life are those that focus not on the cloud, but the silver lining, the bright spots in those things we face.

There is ALWAYS a silver lining.

Sometimes the shiny stuff is obvious.  We just have to choose to focus on the positive over the negative.  

Often, life can seem so overwhelming that it gets really difficult to find or focus on anything good.  We pray for God to give us a break (as we yell, or whine, or scream, or cry....).  It is not uncommon for a friend or someone outside our mess to be the one to bring something positive to our attention.

The band Kutless tells us in their song "What Faith Can Do" that we have "gotta face the clouds, to find the silver lining.". 

We must face our clouds.  Even our darkest ones.  In doing so, we can see how strong we are.  We can be shaped by the trial.  

We can choose to let our cloud make us better.  We can choose to search out that silver lining & be positive in the midst of negative chaos.  

As we do this & journey through life, others will look at us astonished.  

They might even question how we do it.