Be Gentle with Each Other

During this political season, and this season of picnics and reunions, let's remember to be gentle with each other.


These are lessons from church, and from kindergarten.


People will have different opinions about right and wrong, and neither side should judge the other.  The tweets are nasty; we should be nicer.


We are placed, individually (and, I think, divinely) in specific circumstances which may cause us to see life differently, to adopt different standards. We see the world the way it was introduced to us, and everything that comes our way is filtered to fit this perspective.


In South America, there are tribes where shirtless women are not considered nude. But all kinds of craziness ensues if those same women display their armpits...In our culture, we are not taught to keep our arms down (entirely different discussion about whether girls are encouraged to raise their hand) but are taught to keep our shirts on.


And we're all sinners.  Some of us are outright selfish and greedy; others are conscientiously kind and still step on toes.  The opposite of love, some philsopher opined, is not hate...it's indifference.  I think I agree.  Not being seen is harder than being hated.




The way to deal with sin is not to hide or deny it, but to end it. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).