Proverbs 9
1 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:
2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.
3 She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.
12 If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.
(Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.)
Remember the stories I told you about that come to me on e-mail… animals with two heads, incredible photos that are supposedly real, diseases from soda pop cans that are the figment of someone’s wild imagination? Some of these cause a real panic among people. Who hasn’t heard the one about the water that explodes after being heated in the microwave? Again, I refer to www.snopes.com, which reports that, if all of the conditions are perfect, this could possibly happen, but it is highly unlikely.
The point I want to make is that I have a choice when I get one of these messages. I can ignore it, and let it run its course. I can reply to everyone who is on the sender’s e-mail list and tell them the message is a scam and possibly embarrass the sender. Or, I can contact the sender, provide a link to the report on snopes.com, and let him/her decide how to proceed. Depending on the message and whether it has far-reaching effects or is just incredibly preposterous, I either ignore it or choose the latter.
We all make mistakes. Some can be ignored, while others need to be corrected. A very wise minister friend of mine told me once that many people “correct” others with fear, guilt or shame. A little fear…presenting the facts and letting the other person realize their error and potential consequences for themselves … can sometimes be healthy. Guilt is sometimes appropriate… if the mistake was hurtful to another, the person who made the mistake should feel remorseful and make amends. But shame is never appropriate. It serves no purpose, and the person who shames (scorns) another will themselves be making a mistake.
One other thing… bragging is also never appropriate. If you offer constructive correction to one who is mistaken, bragging about it is a mistake on your part and not a part of God’s plan.
©2007 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment