"Oh Thou That Teachest Another!"

You know something? Life is full of learning opportunities. Most often I find that I am my best teacher. If I will take the time to listen and watch myself I will learn a myriad of things about life that can help me. I don't even have to watch other people! Though truthfully, that is far more enjoyable. :) Let me illustrate my point.

Last week my wife and I were on vacation. Now my wife is one of the greatest people I know. She keeps me humble. (And that is no easy task!) She has a way of pointing out my errors in a way that slap me upside the head while smiling very sweetly the whole time. We all need someone like that. However, as a Pastor, there are not many people who will be so brutally honest with me. That is why God gave me my wife. She is my help meet. When I need it, she helps me meet up with the not so nice of me, and I love her for it...most of the time. Now let me get back to my point.

We were enjoying our vacation, and had had a wonderful day of sightseeing. On the way back to the hotel, we were discussing various people and topics. I know, you never talk about people, but as a Pastor, people are my life, so I was just talking about life. Eh hem...now let me continue. We were discussing a certain individual and I was waxing eloquent and generally solving all of this person's problems. As we were pulling into the hotel parking lot it was raining. Remember that because it is important. As I was looking for a place to park, I summed up my conversation something like this. "The problem with so-and-so" I said. "is that they don't pay attention to the little things. The little nice gestures that make a difference. The little things that show respect."

I was feeling quite proud of myself for this brilliant observation, and was just about to pull into the parking spot which I had found, when my wife very sweetly said, "You mean little things like letting your wife out under the car port when it is raining instead of making her walk through the rain?" Have you ever been slapped so hard it made your eyes water? Well just then I would have preferred that slap to the way I felt! Here I had been talking about someone else who didn't think about the little things, and I was overlooking what should have been the obvious little things that any husband should do.

Well, once I got over the pain, I began to think about this again. I realized how often many people do this...oops...there I go again! I mean how often I do this. Maybe you do it to. We are masters of knowing what is wrong with someone else. Are we as quick too spot the shortcomings in our own lives? What is our reaction when someone points them out to us? I didn't need to discuss that other person. I had all I could do to handle me! The truth is, that you and I make enough mistakes on a daily basis to keep us busy for a long time!

Here is an idea. Why not sit down today and write down at least one thing you did or said that could have been done or said differently. Then look at yourself in the mirror and criticize yourself. Just be careful that no one sees you talking to yourself in the mirror! Give yourself the critical advice that you would give to someone else if they had committed the same offense. It might help us not to be so quick to criticize when we can see the same shortcomings in our own lives.

Even if this doesn't apply to you, perhaps you can get a good laugh at my expense!