Patience, Mercy and Not Throwing Stones

"For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." ... James 2:13


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Saturday! My biggest day off of them all.

So via Netflix I watched a couple episodes of Property Brothers and Fixer Upper and--again--became wild while imagination-less couples stood in fixer-upper rooms, whining, "We just can't see it! We can't picture this house ever being open-concept and what we want. We're not sure you can do it."

Oh for goodness' sake.

You should hear me lecturing the tv screen. "People! Open your eyes and your mind. Stop complaining and just imagine the walls gone. Imagine a new kitchen, pretty furniture, wide expanses and that the experts are capable, not novices. Is that so hard?"

Apparently, for some people, it is. (If I were the Property Brothers, I'd have slapped a few clients by now. heh.)

Of course, you know what always happens next, right? God reminds me that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Maybe those folks are weak in their imaginations where I am strong, but then, they're strong in areas where I am weak.

On purpose, He leaves a few weaknesses inside us so to keep us humble, needing each other, rather than all proud because we're terrific at all things and need no one.

Also, some weaknesses are temporary, more like signs of yet unlearned lessons. Like, recently I watched the Netflix movie, God's Not Dead. I enjoyed it and afterward, came to IMDB to read about some of its stars. A few actors profess to be Christians, but oh, the commenters in the message boards! They love (seriously) to shred to pieces anyone who calls himself Christian yet still makes mistakes with his mouth. 

You'd think the ripper-aparters easily live this Bible verse 24/7:


"...  if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way."   ... James 3:2


We all grow at different speeds. God changes us how He sees fit, in His timing, and we all 'know only in part.'  Nobody is strong or perfect all the time and only God understands our hearts.

But God does call all of us to be merciful. It's only the merciful who will receive mercy the next time they mess up. And if that doesn't humble us, I'm not sure if anything can.

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"We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves."  ... Romans 15:1


"Let him who is without sin throw the first stone."   ...  John 8:7


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And yeah, I probably shouldn't still be reading message boards/comments. I don't peruse nearly as many as I once did and--mostly--I use them to remind me how not to be and how badly this world needed a Saviour.

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