September 22, 2006

I’m very tempted to beat myself up – it’s safer than having someone else do it. But I’ve learned it’s just as unhealthy. So instead, I’ll just confess. I was disrespectful of people’s time, insensitive to their needs and blind to how to deal with it. The irony is that all the time I was trying my hardest to get it right.

But because I understood that something needed solving, and then because I didn’t know what to do, I got sucked into the trap that if I try harder and talk longer, something will work. It didn’t. I can laugh about it – because I’m learning to live life that way and also because the three friends who endured with me are very forgiving.

I have a visual image in my mind for my ideal in problem solving. When I come up against a wall I want to remember that I can step back from the wall. When I’m committed to progress, stepping back feels counter intuitive. Yet in stepping back I can gain perspective that opens other alternatives. Many times the ‘problem’ isn’t the problem.

We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. James 3:2

Be at peace,
Pastor Steve