This Ain't High School Musical...

I've been working on this post since April...and now it's time to put it out there. The passage from James is something that I've been finding solace, peace, and rest in as I've been dealing with some things recently:

There are some very profound words found in James, chapter 3...

Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

James is laying down timeless truth. I've found that people act a certain way in high school...and some never grow past that. This can make it interesting in the workplace, church, wherever you deal with people. People can be tough to deal with at times. It seems like most of my posts have been dealing with people...or Sarala;). People though and the situations they create are things that we encounter on a daily basis.

It seems like stuff keeps coming up in my life that involves people. Today, for example, something continues coming up. I'm trying really hard to stay out of things, but it can be very frustrating. I want justice, things to be made known...things to be made right. I need to keep reminding myself though that if it doesn't directly involve me though...I'm not going to worry about it. I'm also not going to worry about it if it does involve me...unless it's something that has to be dealt with. I'm trying to stay close to God on that one...I don't want to get out there and get into things if I don't have to. I want to help develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God, as hard as it can be to treat people with dignity and honor.

Is it really worth it though...to get involved and make things worse? I've found that a lot of the stuff that is said and goes on out there isn't worth getting worked up over. Some of those things have a way of working themselves out. Also, people who cause issues have a way of getting bit by the problems they've created. So, I'm not losing too much sleep ;)

I try to stay grounded in God's word when stuff like that comes up. Words like these from James cause me to rethink how I conduct myself. I can't act how I want to act. There are other passages, but this is one that has stuck with me recently. I think God has really been hammering me with the issue of pride. Pride is something that I tend to struggle with...like I need to make things right. It's hard to remain humble when people say things about you or do things complicate your life. If stuff is said about me I usually think "I need to make it known that...whatever." That's usually how I feel but it's not worth it.

Am I reflecting love and mercy in my dealings with people? Am I being gentle and reasonable? I'm not hot and cold am I? Am I living humbly?

These are the hard questions because people can be stupid and it's hard to not punch some of them in the head. Aside from these things...these people are being used to teach me things...make me better. I feel like I've gotten better. When I was younger...I didn't handle things like that so well. I still have trouble, but again, I try and focus on the bigger picture. Again, it's not my responsibility.

When it comes to dealing with people...reputations get examined and are improved or made worse. We all have reputations. I've got one. I guess the question is...does it align with being wise?

I don't do what I do to please people. It can appear that way I guess since I try and do the right thing...but my main goal is to live a life that pleases God. I try and let my actions speak for me. The thing I've come to realize is that people really do pay attention to what I do, far more than I think sometimes. I can rest in the fact that I'm trying to do what matches up with God. I need to continue to do the hard work of trying to get along with people.

Hopefully this makes sense...since I've added and detracted from this for awhile now...I may add to it later....