Spiritually Speaking
Preachers are people
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June 2, 2017
Some of you might find this one difficult to believe. Preachers don’t enjoy being “judgmental.” Admittedly, there are a few of us who relish the opportunity to trash the rest of us, since most of us are not as spiritually well-groomed as the best of us. However, I stand by my statement: Preachers don’t enjoy being judgmental. Here are some reasons why:
1. Preachers are people. We did not spring forth, fully grown, from God’s thigh. We came to the world in the usual way and face the same life-trials as everyone else. We fail. We triumph. We reload and go again; just like everyone else. However, we have the added responsibility of reminding ourselves and others that God has standards of conduct that He desires from His creation. To judge others is to remind ourselves that we, too, are painfully flawed. Paul reminds the Galatian church to “bear one another’s burdens” as the next one in need may be YOU.
2. Hurting people’s feelings is no fun for anyone. We all like to be liked. We enjoy a good laugh more than a painful cry. However, sometimes the yuckiest of medicines is the most effective. Occasionally, Dr. Self will ask me to do something I know will increase my overall health and (perhaps) help prolong my lifespan on the planet. Sometimes I refuse to comply because I just don’t want to go through whatever procedure it might be (especially if needles are involved). The good doctor can only do so much to help me – and sometimes hurts my feelings – but I get to decide whether I care enough about my physical health to comply. The same is true about spiritual health.
3. Whiners are no fun. Sometimes, when a minister offers guidance to a member of their flock, they set themselves up for a tirade of excuses and a chorus of “oh, woe is me.” Excuses are like noses – everybody has one and we all tend to pick them when needed. People make choices. Bad choices bring bad results. Bad results make us unhappy. So we whine. Bible-based ministers with good intentions try to guide us with Scriptural truth. So we whine. I can’t possibly do what I should because ... “and that preacher is so judgmental.” See you Sunday.
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