People Are Annoying // so am I

This past weekend I decided that it was time to make a dramatic shift in the way that I view other people. For too long I would view some people (not everyone) as annoying. Or someone would do something or act a certain way or say something that would bother me, and in my book they would somehow be written off. I would always act cordial around them, but that didn’t stop me from having a poor attitude about them otherwise.

So, I asked God to change me on this. People act the way the do and and say things for a myriad of reasons that most of the time I don’t know. And even when I do know, I shouldn’t form an opinion in my head about those people that is biased and unfair. Jesus isn’t looking at them this way.

Secondly, I don’t want to talk poorly of other ministries, believers or organizations or whatever. These are fellow members in the body of Christ. Once again, they are acting and doing things the way they are doing things based on a firm belief that the God of the universe is leading them. I’m doing the same thing.

Mark Driscoll tells the story of a pastor in his area that was leading a large church and custom building a house. People (“believers”) began circulating rumors about this pastor and his “poor” leadership and how bad it was that he was building a custom home. Mark had the opportunity to meet the pastor. He ended up asking him about his house. The man responded with this: “I’m building a custom home for my wife who is going blind. Everyday it is getting worse. I have to design a home that has a certain layout so that she will be able to learn it and it will be effective for her when she is completely blind.” No one knew the backstory, they were just envious of his knew home. But this story made me think of how often I assume something without knowing anymore than, I just don’t like that. This story also solidified what I’d been feeling and hearing from God, “Brian, you just need to love people more, better and deeper.”

There, that was my Tuesday confession. Don’t look at me like that, you know you do (or did) the same thing.