Today's meditation
Nearsighted
2 Peter 1:1-11: …you must…support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love….For anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.
When I’m driving and mentally criticizing the behavior of another driver, I almost always exhibit that same behavior, sometimes within seconds of my criticism. And yet, I still am likely to return very quickly to my running (negative) commentary about the way other people drive.
It is a small bad habit, but one which unfortunately can seep into areas more important than careless driving. As described in 2 Peter, I often find myself “nearsighted and blind…forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.” I conveniently condemn, in others, the very choices I myself have made, choices for which I know God has forgiven me.
I look at the virtues listed in this Scripture and think that they are impossible to achieve. While they may be difficult to achieve, they are simple to cultivate. In moments when I become critical, I can practice catching myself and remembering all that I have been forgiven of in the past.
I certainly don’t want to be “nearsighted and blind…forgetful of the cleansing” of my own sins
Psalms 1, 2, 3; Amos 2:6-16; Matthew 21:1-11
Copyright 2023 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com).
When I’m driving and mentally criticizing the behavior of another driver, I almost always exhibit that same behavior, sometimes within seconds of my criticism. And yet, I still am likely to return very quickly to my running (negative) commentary about the way other people drive.
It is a small bad habit, but one which unfortunately can seep into areas more important than careless driving. As described in 2 Peter, I often find myself “nearsighted and blind…forgetful of the cleansing of past sins.” I conveniently condemn, in others, the very choices I myself have made, choices for which I know God has forgiven me.
I look at the virtues listed in this Scripture and think that they are impossible to achieve. While they may be difficult to achieve, they are simple to cultivate. In moments when I become critical, I can practice catching myself and remembering all that I have been forgiven of in the past.
I certainly don’t want to be “nearsighted and blind…forgetful of the cleansing” of my own sins
Psalms 1, 2, 3; Amos 2:6-16; Matthew 21:1-11
Copyright 2023 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com).