“Oh come on,” I said to my Dad as we played a dice game
called 10,00 “the risk is worth it! What
do you have to loose, you’re so far behind anyways.” He listened to me, rolled the dice again and
lost it all. I felt bad.
Now it was my turn. I
rolled and planned to stop, take my points and run, that is until I heard my
Dad echoing my words, “What have you got to loose you’re so far bind anyways,
go for it!” Instinct said don’t be crazy
stay with the safe choice! I blurted out, “I want to stay with the points that
I’ve got, but than I guess that would make me a HYPOCRITE since I just convinced
Dad to risk it all.” Every one expected
me to stay but instead I rolled, not out of the thrill of the gamble, but out
of a need to practice what I preached.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, I didn’t loose it all! I had just accumulated even more points! I laughed almost uncontrollably at this
ironic out come. And everyone else
laughed, gasped and looked on in shock.
I had just beat the odds!
When it comes to life it seems that everyone can tell you
how to live yours. They’re just
chocked full of advice, but most of these pushy advisers seem to be full of
talk and empty when it comes to application.
Because of the work that I do I've been seeing the same example repeating its self. I happen to have a cleaning busyness that has
been doing pretty good lately and one type of job I’ve been getting more often
is to clean homes before people move in. It really is amazing how people can get so used
to their own grime that they don’t even notice it, but put a stranger in that
same environment and there are gasps of shock at how anyone can live like
that. Yet, take that same person who goes
on and on over the filth of the previous dwellers into their current home and you
often find the same erosion of time and grime having it’s affect in their space.
Some how this seems funny to me and it made me think that
this is also how people look at others as they judge them. We seem to be able to see someone's problems so
much easier from the outside looking in because we have a fresh perspective and
we haven’t become accustomed to the over all neglect of personal wisdom in life
choices. Yet we don’t manage to see our
own problems…phrases like “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw
stones.” and “They can’t see the forest for the trees”, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's
eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” come to
mind.
So what’s to be done, do we stop giving someone the advice
that might save them from heart ache because we really have no right to be
giving them a tip on life that we ourselves haven’t applied? Will they listen to us?
Luke 6:39-42 He also told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both
fall into a pit? A student is
not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his
teacher. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your
brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you
say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you
yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the
plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from
your brother's eye.
If you want to change/help others you must first change
yourself. If you want to be heard, make
sure you’re living life in such a way that people are ASKING you for what you think in how to handle a certain situation.
Live life in wisdom and people who are in need of some guidance are more
likely to want to hear what you have to say.
