There are some very Important Differences that dramatically affect our lives and relationships.
They are the differences between:
Humility vs Pride
Truth vs Lies
Gratitude vs lack of appreciation
Love vs Indifference
The Bible, in Proverbs tells us that pride comes before a fall. Perhaps more emphatically a fall comes after pride. We can have pride for others. Most parents are proud of their children’s accomplishments. However, even there it is good to be wary. If the pride has as much to do with our own accomplished raising of the child; as in, “Didn’t we do a god job.” Better to say, in truth thank you Lord for the blessing of this child.
I was born with an exceptionally good voice. There is practically never a time when I sing in public when no one comes to compliment me on my singing. I am acutely aware that in spite of much training there is little I have added to the gift. The Lord made the instrument that is my voice.
Pride is always self centered. One time I decided to give a solo concert. I worked very hard with my voice coach on some very difficult classical music. One the day of the concert I got a severe case of stage fright. “Will they like it?” What is I mess up?” Then the terrible thing happened. My mouth went dry. No amount of lemon juice nor lousengers would fix it. The audience was kind. They gave me generous compliments. However, I new how aweful it had been. I still shutter to think about it.
Years later I was asked to sing Ave Maria at a wedding. Thanks be to God it was totally different. For whatever reason the Lord helped me be relaxed and confident. Like the hero in the movie Chariots of fire I believed when I sang it gave God pleasure! It seems to me it was the best performance of my life. Yet, in all humility, it was somehow out of my control.
In his book Twelve Rules for Life, Jordon Peterson advises us to Tell the Truth but at Least Don’t Lie. Moreover, we know that Jesus is The Truth. Plus the Devil is the Father of Lies. Even ChatGPT knows this!
“Lying is generally considered a bad idea because it erodes trust, damages relationships, and can have negative consequences if the truth is eventually revealed. It undermines integrity and can lead to a cycle of deceit that becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. Additionally, lying can have ethical and moral implications, causing guilt and internal conflict.”
Our son learned this lesson while in a residential program. “You lose trust in miles but have to gain it back in inches.” A hard life lesson to learn!
There is no doubt that life in all it twists and turns is difficult. It can be filled with suffering and sadness. Again, as Peterson often says, “Yo may not be able to make it better but you can
Certainly make it worse or even Hell.
As a Hospice Chaplain I had a patient with ALS. It’s one of the worst diseases you could. All your muscle atrophies until you can literally do nothing for your self. He was miserable, which is understandable. He made everyone in his family and all his caretakers miserable as well. Going into that home was like entering hell.
By contrast, I think about my late wife. During g her last few times in tcollege the hospital she did all she could to be pleasant and make caring for her a pleasant experience. She took her boom ox and cassettes of praise music. She took her devotional books and Bible. Most importantly, she took her attitude of gratitude.
Most everyone in our culture has heard the words John 3:16, even if they can’t quote the verse. God so loved the world….” Above all else God is love! In other words, He cares! You might think hate is the opposite. However, hate is not quite right. Hate still has a connection. Indifference is a better opposite. It negates the other altogether. You don’t mean anything to me. Like the parable of the poor man at the rich man’s door, indifference is the real fault. We are called to love enough to care. My Bishop often remind us that the person in front of us is the most important person person we and Jesus want to connect with in the present.
There are more Christian’s virtues. We should attend to them as well. However these four are a good place to begin!
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