Just a very practical kind of question for my brothers and sisters in the Lord?

You and Esther are right. I should try this with my relationship with my wife. We are going thru some tough times right now. I tend to take offenses at everything she does and am QUICK to point out her mistakes... often times they are the same things I do right back to her.

MAYBE trying to say silent prayers will make me less quick to anger and less hypocritical to point out her mistakes when I myself am just as guilty.

I'm reminded of the prayer of St. Francis...

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

In it he says

"grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;"

I think that is what you are getting at. Not to come down on people..but to accept them.. to understand them. To pray for them.

Thanks for the reminder of what I should be doing and a suggestion on a new tool I can use to better my life.. and my wife's

I have a habit of not criticizing others because I was brought up this way. My little sister wouldn't tolerate any corrections and reported me if I did and then my mom would assume I had been bothering her unnecessarily. So, that, and other things made me know that I can't criticize even though others are hurting me a lot, but that has caused the problem of getting walked all over in the past too, so I don't intend to let that happen now.

Thank you Sandy, from the bottom of my heart! We need a solid voice here, for the Lord! There is too much animosity and hate here. This is so refreshing! Yes, I have had this experience and I do in everyday in the Lord's grace. I am at peace and I have happiness and I know, without God in my life, it just would not be possible! Bless your little heart for being here for us today, standing in for the Lord! Praise God!

I have scrolled thru: two pages of Questions Two find One that I wanted

to Answer; Still Water is the deepest;

Yes I agree,You have Reminded me of what is needed, Now more than ever; This Walk of Faith has steps and Believers are moving up

and it does take a Certain Type of Grace,that is a Gift from God thru; Jesus Christ ;You are an Intercessor, most needed Today:

Shortcomings are common to all human beings.

My consciousness is the consciousness of the whole world; I am not an individual consciousness! I'm not the only one who suffers foolish behaviors from others; nor have I been constantly free from all ignorance's.

My situation is generally speaking; the same as your situation. Every human is like a clone; who gets brainwashed by education, by tradition, by our parents, by our friends etc. We all go through these common human experiences. We might train our minds to take different occupations; which themselves require similar adaptations both psychologically and intellectually to become competent.

So my consciousness is the same as your consciousness, although we might approach situations from a different dimension...

We are all ignorant because of knowledge. Ignorance and knowledge have one thing in common, which is thought. We can never become infinitely knowledgeable; therefore we are all ignorant relatively speaking. Whilst I may know more about the biochemistry of a tumor cell than you do, I can only speak one language, where as you may speak two. I'm in a fix on holiday in Spain; you're in a fix if you are diagnosed with cancer. Further more: relatively speaking, I am also ignorant about the biology of cancer despite being knowledgeable comparative with other professionals. No doubt also in every occupation, there is always new things to learn.

There are shortcomings in: personal hygiene, lack of personal wit, insensitivity to feelings, lack of adventurous attitude, lack of tolerance etc etc. Shortcomings in others are dangling before us like fireworks in the sky; we see them in others flash before us, and our focus is only upon others shortcommings, squarely away from our own.

Clearly: compassion for others involves sometimes being candid, showing honest expression about what you think of something about somebody. However: ego and false pride are personal shortcomings in the student which a teacher must take care to avoid insulting, or else the teachers power to help others is dissolved!

To ask the question: why do you do that, what is wrong with you? These are questions which cause violent defense of the ego's pride!

Like all issues of apparent separation between people, actually the consciousness of mankind is one. We even psychologically put our own faults on to others when we feel insecure, to distance ourselves from facing inner truths!

Because we feel the need to be individual in our perception of self; we imagine that we are special or uniquely less fault ridden than others.

I can only say one thing that I might suggest could remedy the frustration that others behavior causes you! The only thing to escape that kind of frustration; is to withdraw your concentration from others, to consider your own shortcomings deeply.

Focusing your concentration on your own ego, without criticizing yourself, but really observing what is going on with you will take your mind away from other peoples behaviour!

We all play different roles (so says the script); but we are all expressing the consciousness of actors, accept that we behave according to the programming of life (rather than imitation programming that actors use to alter their persona for drama).

Catholics seem to have a problem with saint worship, and no saint seems to be so widely revered then Mary, the mother of Jesus. I'm not familiar with all Catholic practices, but that criticisms appears to have merit. I just wonder why the logic that Protestants use does not carry through to their own practices.

Usually the criticism of Catholic saint worship will still affirm Mary as a fine person, but not worthy of any special regard because God just had to pick somebody, and it just happened to be her. In other words, God could have chosen any other womb, or at least others could have qualified. It wasn't that the Father was just waiting for someone as special as Mary to come along before He sent Jesus to earth. She was just blessed to be available when God needed someone like her.

I agree. But, don't use that argument against my sacred cows!

I like to think that I am special. I like the flattering gossip at the prayer meetings, when we talk about those that have fallen away, and ministries that strayed off-track. I don't have to say it directly: "I am glad that I am not as other men"- can be read between every smug declaration.

Surely, I wound up-right by my own doing, and others (if they had my fortitude, and my will-power, and my smarts) could stay free from disrepute, and scandal, right?

Am I alone with this flesh tenancy? I must admit it. I don't like it, but sometimes the evil thoughts come into mind. In fact, it would shock you how much time is spent at the Bible-studies that I go to doing exactly this.

God help us, to be free of this! We are vexed by the self-righteous self-exaltative notions that we have it together on our own and others do not. Help us be boastful only of our weakness and how the Lord Jesus has saved wretches like us! You, Lord, didn't need our strength, smarts, nor will-power to accomplish this work in us. Our intellect did not lead us to all Truth ... it is Your Spirit.

We are nothing. You are the Lord.

We give you 100% credit for whatever purity has arrived in us, for on our own we can do nothing. Whatever wisdom, whatever strength, it is You, Lord Jesus!

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly trust in Jesus' Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,

Support me in the whelming flood.

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found.

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

amen

this is a cool level of a walk with the Lord that you're driving us into,I had similar thoughts,come to me but using a different analogy of foot ball, that is when our team is playing on the pitch, and by any chance,either of our players blunders with the ball the most wise thing to do is not to start accusing him,but to rather rush back and try everything possible,to beef up defence, and stop the opponent from scoring,every team needs a spirit of team work.I agree with your thoughts.

You know what your problem is? you have too much time on your hands. Find a Job, do some community services or some thing.

It gives you some thing to think about and at the same time it keeps you busy. I am discuss-ted of reading your ton of craps!!!

Bal Bal bla....what a boa-ring woman

EDIT: One of R&S regulars that I can't stand. I am glad you know that too.

Irritating and annoying creature

There was a saying floating around a while ago " when you point a finger , there are 3 more pointing back at you " . :o)

Love covers a multitude of sin .

I have a sticky up here by my desk, it says "which end of the pencil do you use most often"? I can't remember where I saw it, or heard it, but I know the more mercy I have for others, the more I will be shown when I need it...and I need it often!