TRAVELER IN A PIT
“A traveler fell into a deep pit and couldn’t get out. Several persons came along and saw him struggling in the pit. The sensitive person said, ‘I feel for you down there.’ The reflective person said, ‘It’s logical that someone would fall into the pit.’ The aesthetic person said, ‘I can give you ideas on how to decorate your pit.’ The judgmental person said, ‘Only bad people fall into the pit.’ The analytical person said, ‘Help me measure the depth of your pit.’ The curious person said, ‘Tell me how you fell into the pit.’ The perfectionist said, ‘I believe you deserve your pit.’ The evaluator said, ‘Tell me, are you paying taxes on this pit.’ The self-pitying person said, ‘You should have seen my pit.’ The specialist in meditation said, ‘Just relax and don’t think about the pit.’ The optimist said, ‘Cheer up! Things could be worse.’ The pessimist said, ‘Be prepared! Things will get worse.’ [Then Jesus came along and upon] seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the … pit.” (Source Unknown)
Beyond the humor of this piece, I found myself thinking about two things.
ADVICE OF THE WORLD
The first thing is the world has a whole lot of advice to give and is apt and ready to render assessments, but mostly it comes up short. Amen?
A FRIEND OF SINNERS
And the second thing I found myself thinking about is how important it is that we deal with those that don’t know God as Jesus did and would have us to do it.
Too often I think we are more like the judgmental person above when it comes to people who don’t know the Lord. And rather than love them like we’re supposed to and make sacrifices that they might someday be lifted out of their pits, instead we play judge, jury and executioner. Instead, we criticize, point fingers, stand aloof and condemn. Jesus did none of these things. Is it any wonder that He would be referred to as the “Friend of sinners.” (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34)
Our Gospel is attractive if we present it in the right attitude and with a servant’s heart. You’ll be surprised if you adopt Jesus’ approach to sharing your faith. You might just gain a few more listening ears and maybe even a few souls for the kingdom of God along the way!
(The Good Advice by Jean-Baptiste Madou picture file above is in the public domain: click here. PD-US)
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