Thoughts to think about

Last week I attended a conference for work. I attend many good and some no so  classes. But one stood out to me it was on Canceling comparisons.

The speaker (Kathie Gwilliam) told of her experience of comparing herself with others and the feelings of not belonging or not fitting in. She one day spoke with her leader and he gave her some advice. That comparisons only leads to two things: vanity and bitterness.

I don’t want to be either vain or bitter. Being vain or grumpy would make me a gumpy old man, and I don’t want to be known as the gumpy old man down the street.

As I ruminated on comparison, I thought of a book that when I first heard of it, my first reaction was why would I want to read a book on brown nosing? Then, many years, and I mean many years later, I found this book and began to read it. As I read it, I realized that I was wrong.

It was a book on how to treat people, building and maintaining relationships with each of them. Which I am still learning to do. I found three principles in the book, which I try to live by (emphasis on “try”). These principles are, do not: criticize, condemn, or complain.

When we criticize, we are comparing our differences and judging others when they don’t meet our standards. When we condemn, we are comparing their actions to how we believe we would act in the same situation. When we complain, we are stating our point of view of another who didn’t live up to our expectations even though they don’t know what our expectations are.

The message from the class and my reading, boils down to a seven word sentence found in Matthew 7:1 by our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer; Jesue Christ during the sermon on the mount, Where he said “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

Please think and look at the many ways we judge others and how we tear each other down. Think of the relationships  which we’ve missed out on because we’ve compared ourselves to others and counted ourselves as not good enough. Or when we’ve judged and convicted others to be not worth the effort to get to know them.

Let’s live so we can find the relationships we won’t find as we compare and judge ourselves and others instead of loving and accepting them as they are.

D.Charles Wilson 10/20/24