"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!"
Habakkuk 2:15
So, hopefully needless to say, God would prefer that we not be creepers.
What this verse made me think of though was taking advantage of other people's weaknesses. We do that in a lot of ways, not just the obviously-creepy way above. We know how to push people's buttons, or selectively reveal the truth, or embarrass someone we know is a little over-sensitive about something. Sometimes we just think it is funny... other times we do it for an advantage, or just because we're looking for ego boosts in comparing ourselves to others. No matter why we do it though, it's wrong.
It's wrong for the same reason that the verse above is creepy, and not funny. Because we all feel horrible when someone exposes our weaknesses and mocks us. We *all* would like people to be kind to us when we are at a disadvantage, rather than to kick us when we're down. *No-one* wants to be publicly shamed, no matter what we've done. Instead, we're like a hand up, right? We'd like help to stand back on our feet and start again. We'd like people not to harp on who we used to be, but to give us a chance to change and be the new person we are trying to become. God does that for us, because he loves us and can see our worth and our potential. And if God can see it, it is THERE. In all of us.
Today, let's work on seeing the good and the potential in the people around us, and let's treat them with kindness, just as we hope they will treat us. Let's remember not to be creepers, but even more so, let's be good, and get better. Let's pray that God will share his vision of other people with us when we are having a hard time seeing the good within.
Habakkuk 2:15
So, hopefully needless to say, God would prefer that we not be creepers.
What this verse made me think of though was taking advantage of other people's weaknesses. We do that in a lot of ways, not just the obviously-creepy way above. We know how to push people's buttons, or selectively reveal the truth, or embarrass someone we know is a little over-sensitive about something. Sometimes we just think it is funny... other times we do it for an advantage, or just because we're looking for ego boosts in comparing ourselves to others. No matter why we do it though, it's wrong.
It's wrong for the same reason that the verse above is creepy, and not funny. Because we all feel horrible when someone exposes our weaknesses and mocks us. We *all* would like people to be kind to us when we are at a disadvantage, rather than to kick us when we're down. *No-one* wants to be publicly shamed, no matter what we've done. Instead, we're like a hand up, right? We'd like help to stand back on our feet and start again. We'd like people not to harp on who we used to be, but to give us a chance to change and be the new person we are trying to become. God does that for us, because he loves us and can see our worth and our potential. And if God can see it, it is THERE. In all of us.
Today, let's work on seeing the good and the potential in the people around us, and let's treat them with kindness, just as we hope they will treat us. Let's remember not to be creepers, but even more so, let's be good, and get better. Let's pray that God will share his vision of other people with us when we are having a hard time seeing the good within.
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