Romans 12: 2 - 5 NKJV
There's a old saying that to truly get to know someone that we must walk "a mile in their shoes." Indeed, we ourselves may never come to know another person fully until we have shared those experiences which they have. You may have had experiences that I cannot speak to and vise versa. One thing that I would be extremely hesitant to do is to put myself in someones own situation while saying that I would have done things differently. How arrogant is the man who can make such a a statement? First off, if I'm going to proclaim that I would handle a situation you have suddenly found yourself in differently then I had damn well better know what it is that I am speaking of! Now, if I have gone through a similar situation, I can offer advice as to how I handled it and what it was that helped me. This is where the practice of journaling is so important. For once we have gone through the gauntlet, we can look back as to the circumstances of our own ordeal. The next time we may find ourselves in a difficult situation, we can look back upon not only our struggles, but our victories as well. How is it that someone can attest to a situation that I am going through unless they themselves have been through the very same fire that I am enduring? That being said, how can I claim to someone that I would have handled something differently if I am not involved in all that they are going through. I am not, nor will I ever be better than anyone else. Nor will I claim to be. I am not so arrogant that I cannot admit my own faults. However, I am also not above putting someone who does just that in their place when needed! It is no big secret, people, that each of us have been blessed with different abilities and talents. Who are you to say that I should have the same skills as you? If our heavenly Father wills it, He will open my own eyes to that which He wants me to see.
7So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 8“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 9“and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10“But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11“For whoever exalts himself will be chumbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 12Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the dmaimed, the lame, the blind. 14“And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Luke 14: 7 - 14 NKJV
There is a reason that Christ Himself proclaimed that those who humble themselves would be exalted. For it is these among us who do not place themselves above others. Just because I know how to put words to paper, I am not so arrogant to assume that others should have that very same ability. I usually cannot work on and fix my own car, but I know how to take it to the man who can! So, how arrogant are you to criticize me for paying money to have my car fixed when all you do is turn a few wrenches to fix your own? Trust me, I will speak to you the error of your ways mister christian brother! Trust me, I know my own faults better than anyone so I don't need your help. Likewise, your shoes will more than likely not fit me so I cannot speak to what it is that you might be going through. In the big picture, we are all members of the same body in Christ Jesus {Romans 12:4}. Now, as I said, this does not mean that, when asked, that I cannot speak to a situation I may have overcome which may help you in yours. It is in this way that we uplift one another in the family of Christ Jesus. However, if you tell me that you are refusing to help me simply because I am not following your supposedly sound advice, then that is a issue that you have with yourself Chumly. Trust me, I don't need people like that around me.
I recently had a discussion with a coworker who has been going through a messy divorce after being married many years. I knew of his troubles, but I waited until he approached me before I spoke to him about it. He was indeed surprised that I had not offered up my opinion of his situation without being asked as others already had. However, he was also grateful of what I shared of situations I myself had been in and come through. I believe he wasn't looking for direction of any kind, just a ear to listen. After all, that is all we can do for one who is going through a trial. He who humbles himself will be exalted.
9Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18: 9 - 14 NKJV
~Scott~
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