To the Pure
A friend said to me the other day that it took her a long while to realize certain persons sabotage situations, because she doesn't operate that way herself. That we tend to think that all people think and operate the way we do.
I so admire that quality, and at the same time, I so don't know what to do with it in myself. "To the pure, all things are pure," I told her. I feel like I put it in a box and wrapped it up with a bow.
It's not that easy for me. Is it for you?
I work and play and move in a world where I trust others to respond in an honest way. I'm not completely naive; I've been stung a few times. But I tend to expect the best of folks. Is that wise? Where is the line drawn? I'd like to think that if I get screwed, it's not out of stupidity. If people aren't trustworthy, but I have to cooperate with them, how do I maintain my integrity?
The Ginster gave me James 3:16-18 the other day. I had it hanging over my work phone as soon as I could print it off. It's a reminder of the attitude I want to maintain in my dealings with folks who push my buttons. I had an opportunity to loan it to another friend today who needed it worse than I did. The issue in my mind right now is, when we lose a battle to someone who has taken the low road, how do we know it's okay?
My experience has been that when the stakes are high, the answer is sometimes complex. Sometimes we don't get to know if we could have done something better, or not done something; we just have to know that we followed what we thought was best at the moment. But still, I find myself much more concerned over losing good ground for no reason than I am over winning in anything.
Maybe the denial of that concern makes room for the purity that sees others as pure, and the harmlessness that sees others as harmless.
I so admire that quality, and at the same time, I so don't know what to do with it in myself. "To the pure, all things are pure," I told her. I feel like I put it in a box and wrapped it up with a bow.
It's not that easy for me. Is it for you?
I work and play and move in a world where I trust others to respond in an honest way. I'm not completely naive; I've been stung a few times. But I tend to expect the best of folks. Is that wise? Where is the line drawn? I'd like to think that if I get screwed, it's not out of stupidity. If people aren't trustworthy, but I have to cooperate with them, how do I maintain my integrity?
The Ginster gave me James 3:16-18 the other day. I had it hanging over my work phone as soon as I could print it off. It's a reminder of the attitude I want to maintain in my dealings with folks who push my buttons. I had an opportunity to loan it to another friend today who needed it worse than I did. The issue in my mind right now is, when we lose a battle to someone who has taken the low road, how do we know it's okay?
My experience has been that when the stakes are high, the answer is sometimes complex. Sometimes we don't get to know if we could have done something better, or not done something; we just have to know that we followed what we thought was best at the moment. But still, I find myself much more concerned over losing good ground for no reason than I am over winning in anything.
Maybe the denial of that concern makes room for the purity that sees others as pure, and the harmlessness that sees others as harmless.
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