ARE WE OFFENDED OR OFFENDING?

People are just so strange.  But, we must not forget that we each are people.  This is crucial to being us for while we would like to believe that we are not like those others, we are all alike in some form and fashion.  We have our strengths which are to be valued and our weaknesses which are to be admitted.

There is a constant among us that has gone on as long as time.  We are perpetually being offended by someone(s).  It's serious.  It's damaging.  It's painful.  And, it's mind consuming at times.

There is one other constant among us.  We are perpetually offending someone(s).  It's serious.  It's damaging.  It's painful.  And, it's mind consuming at times.

So we would all do well to get the picture.  Romans 2:1-5 is clear that what we are critical of, we are guilty of.  I've made this point before and don't intend to quit.  This text insists that when we judge others we do the very same things ourselves.  I don't particularly like it that God lumped me in with this one...but...He insists!

What this is supposed to do is to help us back off.  Pull back the criticism.  We are all (ALL) in on this warped scheme called daily living which seems to constantly have a bone to pick with some one(s) about some thing(s).  Surely we are not always wrong in assessing others' errors.  But the equal error is that we each have our own of which personal blindness to such often strikes.  Yet, we intentionally choose to avoid all acknowledgement of it.  We are smooth operators in building defenses while going on offense toward any other(s).  In other words we are found to be dishonest and insincere when our concepts are loaded with the guilty they.

So might we be reminded, again, that any whom we determine to be enemies because they have failed us are, in strong reality, a mere reflection of who we are to a few others around us?  Might we drop the facade of being better than another...any another?  Might we get a better grip on our resemblance to the very person who causes our indignation.

This might be a relationship breakthrough of epic strength.