“Worry about yourself”, said my little 2 ½ year old granddaughter
to me the other day, as I was asking her if she was “supposed to be getting
into her mother’s purse”. No sooner did she get those words out of her mouth,
did her mother respond back to her in the spirit of a 911 emergency operator,
loving, but stern rebuke, by telling her not speak to her Granna like that. She
bowed her little head and said, “I sorry Granna”! How precious that was! Not
her harsh rebuke to me for questioning her business, but the humility she
showed, when her higher authority spoke. My daughter apologized and told me
that our little princess was copy-catting her Mom because that is the response
that she gets from her mother when she tries to tell her brother what to do.
Her mother tells her to, “worry about yourself” and leave your brother to me.
My little granddaughter is having to learn one of the toughest character
builders in life, and that is to mind her own affairs. God’s word even tells us
to do that! It says, “And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own
affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you…” in 1
Thessalonians 4:11. In Proverbs 26:17 Solomon provide us with a little bit of
imagery or practical mental picture to help us understand the importance of
minding our own business by saying, “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his
own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.”, Proverbs 26:17.
Fooling with someone else's problems, butting into other's arguments, meddling
in other people’s affairs is just not smart. In fact, it is just about as smart
as grabbing a dog by his ears. When I see people in big quarrels and animosity
towards each other that causes division and conflict, I am sometimes so tempted
to step in and get everyone straightened out by giving them some great advice,
but then, I quickly remind myself about what would happen, if I picked up
a dog by the ears. As I hold my own tongue, and not get involved, I do as Jesus
told Peter to do in John 21:20-22, Peter turned and saw the disciple
whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close
to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter
saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If
it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
I do this because I believe in Romans 14:12, “So then each of us will give
an account of himself to God”. Some people will go through life and never
learn to keep their tongue under control. You can tell that by looking at the
long trail of damage they have brought about that leads straight to their own
mouths. In the end they too will give an account of what they have said, and
friend it will not be a good thing! I think my daughter hit the nail on the
head when she said, “worry about yourself”!
Hold Fast,
Bren
No comments:
Post a Comment