1 Peter 3:10
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
You never know what children – or old people – will say! My Mam-ma Polly, who weighed in at a petite less-than-120 pounds, had a fixation with the weight of other people… and she often spoke about it! I will never forget taking her to a birthday luncheon. The grandson of one of her dear friends hugged her and paid her a big compliment about how pretty she looked…and she replied, “Well, I haven’t seen you since you got so fat!” I wanted the floor to swallow me! This came so naturally to my grandmother that she didn’t even blink. And because she was almost 100 years old, she was forgiven… excused…and people chalked such comments up to her age and secretly assumed that perhaps she was becoming a little senile. This was not the case… my grandmother remained sharp as a tack to virtually her dying day! Anyone who really knew my grandmother knew that she always spoke her mind… although this certainly did not improve with age!
I do not mean to belittle my grandmother – or to criticize her. She was who she was… and she was a blessing to more people that we could begin to count. And that’s my point… any one of us can be guilty of this type of behavior at any moment! I wonder… how many of us are speaking without thinking on a daily basis. How often do we make a critical or snarky comment – maybe in an attempt to be funny – with little to no regard for how these words will affect the other guy? When was the last time you stopped yourself from making a remark… realizing that it might not be perceived the way you intended – or that it could be downright hurtful to others?
We have all said or done something that was unkind – or even misinterpreted – then felt unsettled because of it for hours/days/weeks. This is not a pleasant feeling and certainly doesn’t leave us operating in peace and calm. And if we have said or done something that really caused a stir, the ramifications can create turmoil, hurt, and disappointment for a long time… with the potential for permanent damage.
This is not what God wants for us… and He offers us a way out! Some of us need to tattoo these scripture verses to our forearm, tape them to the bathroom mirror, and post them on our refrigerator! “Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. Say nothing evil or hurtful, snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth.” If we will just remember this… and ask God to show us how to bless others, we can “see the day fill up with good.”
I don’t know about you, but I want to fill up my days with peace and contentment in God’s blessings. Regardless of my age, I must be on guard to make sure that my words and actions please God at every turn… or I can expect some times of incredible turmoil and discord. Everyone has a bad moment – or even a bad day – at some point. But we can greatly reduce the instances of this if we will remain aware of our behavior – and in touch with God. He will help us to guard our comments and behaviors… He will help us to operate in blessings rather than unkindness… and we will be blessed – and peaceful in the bargain. Where do you fit in to this picture? How will you fill up this day with good?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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