A Wayfarer’s Trek

Les Ferguson, Jr. & His Journey with Family, Friends, and God…

Mean People?

Published by Leslie Ferguson, Jr. under Church, Family, Friends, General on July 1, 2009

A year or so ago when we were running our first Orange Grove church TV advertisement, I was desperate to actually see it broadcast. My effort involved enduring the horrible (at least to me) movie Mean Girls for hours just to catch our Ad on screen.

Even though we can be shallow enough at times to be amused by the meanness of some toward others, it wasn’t worth it.

I have seen enough meanness without subjecting myself to it from the television set.

The thing about TV’s that makes them so often valuable isn’t their entertainment or educational value but the ability to hit the off button.

Mean people don’t quite so easily go away.

When confronted with meanness it is so easy to fall into the trap of responding in kind. And when every fiber of your being is crying out for you to do just that, the teaching of Jesus can seem a bit inconvenient.

“Turn the other cheek.”

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

For those of us who get easily confused at times, that’s not “do unto others before they do unto you.”

Not hardly.

Yes, mean people.

And why does it seem at times that the meanest people I’ve ever met have been folks who called themselves my brothers or sisters-in-Christ? I know I am not alone in experiencing this.

Why do we think we can treat each other so badly? And how can we have any kind of a positive witness when we do?

The answer is we cannot.

In our men’s retreat several months ago, Patrick Mead said that waiters and waitresses often do not like working the Sunday lunch crowd for one reason: the Christians whom they serve after Sunday morning church are the stingiest tippers and often mean.

Is that really the image we want to portray?

Thankfully, most Christians I have had the blessing and privilege of being in relationship with have been kind, loving, considerate, and compassionate—without a mean bone in their body to borrow an old cliché.

But if you have a tendency to be judgmental, overly critical, and mean spirited, try to do better and remember the words of the Apostle Paul: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 NIV

Les, Jr.

Orange Grove Church of Christ: “A come-as-you-are church where no perfect people are allowed…”

 


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