James 1:19-20
“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Many years ago I was attending a Christian Counselors Conference. One of the speakers related a counseling session he had with a man who was angry at his wife. He ranted and raved about how sloppy she was and how she neglected her duties of keeping the house clean and orderly.
As the counselor listened to the man tear his wife apart, he was silently praying for words with which to respond to the man. It suddenly became very quiet in the room and the counselor realized that the man was finished. Now it was the counselor’s turn to respond.
The counselor surprised the husband by agreeing with him, saying that he was married to the worst wife he had ever heard of. Immediately the husband rose to his wife’s defense. He began to praise her for having a loving nature and spending time loving her family instead of cleaning; he demanded to know how the counselor could think she was such a terrible wife. The husband left in a snit — but with a new view of his wife.
Are you looking for the good in others or are you so focused on their faults that you forget their strong qualities? Go for the gold and look for the best!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil