There is a problem with having your own agenda. Actually there are a couple. One is that your agenda and what you want to do or what to happen may not be God’s plan for you or for others. The other is just as serious and one that can be extremely hurtful and divisive.
Recently there were two examples where this occurred. One was by me letting my own feelings cloud the issue and say something when deep down a little voice was telling me I should keep quiet. One of these days I might learn to listen all the time to the Holy Spirit’s prompting.
The other time I was a spectator when a person I normally have a high regard for, overstepped the boundaries of good taste and sensitivity. The problem was, they were so focused on the own agenda and getting done what needed to be done that they were totally insensitive to the problems of others who’d had a stressful and eventful week with various personal crises.
I suspect we are all guilty of this at times. We are so intent on what we want that we ignore others’ feelings and their problems are brushed aside too easily as irrelevant or worse still as an irritation. It occurs in marriages. It happens in friendships, family relationships, sport, business and it happens in churches.
When it does, it creates rifts and hurt feeling that are not easily forgotten or dealt with.
But none of us is perfect. We all make mistakes. We would each do well to remember that when others don’t act as we would like, when they come out with comments that are hurtful or they don’t act as we think a Christian should. Because the problem is we all get sidetracked and so caught up at times in our own issues and problems and agenda that we don’t give enough thought to others.
Isn’t it great though that our God isn’t like that! As the Living bible translation says: ‘How precious it is Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me, Psalm 139: 17. Praise God!
Bible verse today from The Living Bible
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