Posts Tagged: thinking the best of others

“When Somebody Else’s Golf Cart Ends up in the Ditch”

On January 3, 2023 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

Somebody’s golf cart ended up in the ditch a while back. Several people commented on Facebook that, “he shouldn’t have had that much to drink.” Turns out that the guy had a seizure. Respect means, among other things, putting the best possible construction on other people’s words and actions.

I am not naïve. I have lived long enough to realize that some people really do stupid and/or harmful things. People also have bad (or at least, mixed) motives. That’s all true. But I have also lived long enough to learn that my evaluations of other people are frequently wildly wrong.

Even if we are right about a person’s motivation, we are not right to think the worst of them. Such thinking, even when it is technically correct, is wrong. Why? Two reasons: It makes them less likely to change for the better at the same time that it makes us less kind and compassionate. The last time I checked, kindness and compassion were important character traits.

Jim, our preacher this past Sunday, said “It is more important to be kind than to be right.”

And then, there is this. Eventually, we all end up with our golf cart (or our hearts) in the ditch. And none of us want other people to think the worst of us, even if they’re right.

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“Different Obviousnesses”

On November 7, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“My wife and I sometimes have a blinding flash of the obvious, but it’s a different obvious.” (A wise observation from a twelve-step friend.)

“Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.” (Romans 14:1-3, The Message)

A little gentleness would go along way right now.  A lot of gentleness would be even better.

People who support Donald Trump are neither stupid nor evil-hearted.  At least, the overwhelming majority are not so.  People who support Joe Biden are not socialists, for the most part.  Another obvious (??) observation is that all places where elections take place always have both Democrats and Republicans counting the votes, and that poll workers are generally people of integrity.

One obvious thing right now is that we are a very deeply divided nation.  As in 2016, it is obvious that the Democratic candidate for president should be elected, and it is obvious to about the other half that the Republican should be elected.  We have different obviousnesses.

Here are some obvious things that don’t feel obvious to me right now.  Nevertheless, I am trying to remember them:

  • Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden is likely to be the anti-Christ.
  • Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden is Christ.
  • Violence is not justified, no matter who wins.
  • No matter who wins, the sun will come up tomorrow, problems will arise, and we live until we die.
  • We need to think the best of people, no matter how obvious it is to us that they are wrong.

We need to go on loving and respecting one another, even in the midst of our different obviousnesses.

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