UNDERSTANDING

We make very meaningful progress in the kingdom when we make concerted effort to understand.  Without making excuse, we grow even more connected when we give each other room to be wrong.  We are wrong...often.  That isn't a cheap shot at us.  It simply is the way we are. 

We are the one praying in the temple admitting his accuser is correct about is judgment of him.  We should be able to admit short-comings are our forte.  Because of this humility we position ourselves to receive that giant of a reward day by day....His grace.

Learning to move through life without comparing ourselves to one another is a huge leap of progress.  The Word says that when we compare ourselves to ourselves or class ourselves by ourselves, we are without understanding. 

Life isn't that some have it and some don't.  All have something and all don't have other things.  Envy isn't to be our mindset; but partnership in sharing our gifts is.  We are similar in that each possesses some strengths and some weaknesses.  Wouldn't we all be bored if everyone was exactly alike?  How dull would life be?

As we increase in understanding we decrease in criticism.  How much better life is when we can back away from dwelling upon our unhappiness with others.

We should know this about one another; each is terrifically valuable.  Yes, we have our major flaws.  But when we remember that we are in this together---and make genuine effort to understand each other---God actually has a good shot at helping all of us be much more productive!