Posts Tagged: editing other people

“In the Business of Mercy”

On June 8, 2022 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

A friend of mine wrote the following to me the other day:

“The more I stay in ‘most of that is none of my business’ mindset, the better I feel spiritually. Even if I do disagree with what someone is doing, or if I would do it differently myself, I can mind my own business by loving them anyway and not trying to control or manipulate. I can trust God with all of it. I actually just think about Jesus and his ministry of being with the most outcast people of society, the “sinners”, and how he showed them unconditional love. That’s how I want to be. Just loving people where they’re at, even if they’re screwing up, even if they’re wrong. I’m wrong all the time. I screw up all the time. And when I do, I really need mercy and love. I think we all do.”

We are in the business of mercy. Part of mercy is often minding our own business. Most people realize when they have messed up. Some even recognize that they are messed up. And yet, as I mentioned to my wife just this morning, I tend to be an editor of other people’s lives. Why do I do that?

I suspect that the main reason is that I don’t want to come terms with the things that I need to change in my own life. Focusing on what is wrong with “those people” avoids the messy and difficult task of trying to be changed myself. It doesn’t matter too much who “those people” are. It could be Democrats or Republicans, atheists or Christians, men or women, the young or the old . . . , just as long as it isn’t me.

Perhaps I should base my own personal mercy business on the premise that I have received much mercy from God and from other people. The truth is that I have indeed received a lot of mercy.

Perhaps too, I could practice mercy toward myself. Increasingly, I am convinced that all the Christian virtues need to be practiced not only by ourselves, but also on ourselves.

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“On Resigning my Position as Editor”

On December 29, 2019 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“. . . I don’t even judge myself.”  (The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 4:3)

You probably didn’t know this, but I am an editor.  However, I’ve decided to resign from the job.  Let me explain.

I don’t edit books.  I edit other people, myself, life itself.  I became aware of this just this morning.  It is raining, and I wanted to edit the rain right out of my life.

But wanting to edit the weather is a failproof prescription for being miserable.  I caught myself in this fruitless quest while I was doing my daily gratitude list.  I decided to write down in my journal that I was thankful for the rain.

Of course, I was not thankful for the rain.  However, as soon as I wrote down that I was thankful for the rain, I was thankful for the rain.  I listened to it pattering down on my Cape Cod ceiling window.  It was beautiful.

Then, today at church, the preacher spoke concerning the life of the Old Testament character Joseph, who had a lot of really bad chapters in his life.  But, as the pastor pointed out, every chapter comes to an end—even the bad ones.  And then, a new chapter begins.  He said that what he was doing wasn’t a sermon.  It was a prophecy that God had given to him for someone.  Well, I know that I was one of the targets of this prophecy.

I thought to myself, “Well I can’t live out this new chapter (whatever and wherever it is) if I’m too busy editing.”

However, I am finding it more difficult to quit editing than I had thought it would be.  Simply saying, “I quit!” doesn’t quite eliminate the habits of a lifetime.  I found myself continuing my function as editor, even since this wonderful rainy insight and the excellent word from God.  Several times, I’ve caught myself trying to edit my wife.  (How many times have I done that without noticing, I wonder.  I get irritated when she tries to edit me.  Why am I surprised when she gets irritated when I do that to her?)  I’ve tried to edit other drivers on the road.  I’ve tried to edit my little dog.

Well, the first step toward resigning from my tendency to edit is awareness.

Of course, I tend to edit myself as well.  Yet an author who has himself for an editor has a fool for both a client and an editor.  It’s hard to spot your own mistakes, and futile to try to spot others’ mistakes—unless you are their accountability partner.  Even then, you should tread lightly.  (See!  There I go again trying to edit you!)

One of the songs that our praise team sang together, spoke of “meeting the author of my life.”  I assume they were talking about God.  If God is the author of our lives, it is overwhelmingly likely that God doesn’t need an editor.  What God “needs” is for me to resign as editor, and cooperate in the story that is me.  God also “needs” me to be willing to show up for cameo appearances in the lives of others, not to be their editor.

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