October 04, 2020

Sunday Devotional With Mr. E: BEYOND I, ME, & MY

 I think...

To me...

My opinion....

 Rarely are we short on opinions about art.  Rarely are we shy about sharing our opinions on art. Sometimes though...we rush to judgement.  We allow our first impression to dictate our perception.  Can we pause for just a moment?  Can we look beyond ourselves, our experiences, our training, our personal preferences?  Maybe we could gain a greater appreciation for art that is outside our "norm".  What do we know about the artist?  What was going on in their life during this time period?  Did they have any challenges mentally, physically, or financially?  Did they have a lack of resources?  Were they oppressed or discouraged from pursing artistic outlets for some reason? Some of this information we might not be able to obtain, but pausing for a moment and considering that there is a story beyond the story set before us....might temper our response. Thinking beyond ourselves might allow us to appreciate artists that are "different"...yet very much the same.  

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate, and humble. 

1 Peter 3:8

Have you ever noticed that opinions run rampant in the church?  We all have our thoughts on seating, service times, carpet color, and other EXTREMELY important things like that! (note the sarcasm).  Sometimes opinions can cause great division within a body of believers.  Why is this?  Is "pews or chairs" really that important?  "We have ALWAYS....."  "Where I went to church..."  "My old pastor would..."  "To me...."  

If we would get beyond ourselves (I, Me, & MY).....maybe we could get more accomplished?  In 1 Peter 3:8 we are reminded to be "like-minded".  That doesn't mean we have to all think EXACTLY the same.  Like-minded is being like Christ.  HOW?  The verse continues on to say be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate, and  HUMBLE (emphasis mine!). Basically, the verse is saying...IT ISN'T ALL ABOUT YOU!!!  We need to put away our personal opinions that we sometimes prize too dearly, and be more like Christ.  We need to seek to understand others. We need to love. We need to put these things into action.  We need to not think we know it all/have all the answers/are always right.

If we can do this...we would see that there is so much more to bring us together than to divide us! 

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