LISTENING TO THEIR STORIES

LISTENING TO THEIR STORIES


The word hypocrite=
Comes from the GREEK word
Meaning actor pretender


A hypocrite PRETENDS
To be someone
That they ARE NOT


“WHY do you notice
The splinter in
Your brother's eye


But do not perceive
The wooden beam
In your OWN EYE?” Matthew 7:3


Jesus called the Pharisees
And scribes HYPOCRITES=
And in the gospel today=
He calls his own disciples=hypocrites


I guess we can
ALL be
HYPOCRITES at certain times-
Can we not?


But we all have STORIES=
And when we listen
To the STORIES


Of HOW someone got that way=
WE CAN still love them


HYPOCRISY infects us all=
HOW can we prevent hypocrisy
In our OWN LIVES?


STAY in touch
With your shortcomings=
And ACKNOWLEDGE your strengths
And don't lose sight
OF YOUR FAILINGS


BE HONEST with yourself=
Tell the TRUTH
To yourself


“Let God weigh me
In HONEST SCALES=
And he will know
That I am blameless--------” Job 31:6


“An HONEST witness
Tells the truth=
But a false witness
Tells lies” Proverbs 12:17


And ABOVE ALL
Be honest with yourself
About YOUR LIFE STORY


And when you FAIL with hypocrisy=
SEEK FORGIVENESS
So you can move on


Second=curb your hypocrisy
By NOT judging others


And above all
LISTEN to people
And their stories


And how they got
To WHERE=they are
IN THEIR LIVES


When we are
BUSY LISTENING=
Busy loving-
We don't have the TIME
To be
PASSING JUDGMENT on them


LEARN to listen
To people and their
Stories today


“My dear brothers and sisters=
Take note of this


Everyone should be
Quick to LISTEN-
Slow to speak=
And slow
To become angry........” James 1:19


My dear friends=LOOK to people
And their STORIES
And RESPOND IN LOVE


WHOSE STORY can we
LISTEN to today?


In the name of Jesus=and our ALL FORGIVING FATHER


Robert P. Wallman
6-21-20




Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.