Good to Grate

Many people were expecting 2020 to be the year that went from good to great, but it has not turned out to be quite what we expected. This year has grated on the nerves of everyone! Imagine yourself ten years in the future and you are having a conversation with someone about going back in time to any year that you could choose. How many would choose 2020? Hmmmm. I am not a betting man, but I bet not many if any would choose 2020...at least to this point in the year. Of course, we CAN have a different second half of the year. We have to learn to move from grate to great.

How do we do that? Listening is a key to moving forward, but listening alone will not solve the problems we face. If you listen to lies long enough, you move from being fooled to being a fool, and the Bible says a lot about that, and none of it is kind:

Proverbs 18:2 says, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”

Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man holds it back.”

Proverbs 18:6 says, “A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.”

Proverbs 29:9 says, “If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.”

Proverbs 28:26 says, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

Proverbs 18:7 says, “A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.”

Proverbs 26:3-12 says, “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. Like a man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.”

Wow, does any of that resonate with things you have seen or heard recently? The world seems to be filled with people like that. So, how do we “fix” this? The problem is not just a matter of listening better, but the real question is who are we listening to?

There are three types of truth: 1. Your truth. 2. My truth. 3. God's truth. Only one of these is pure and untainted. Sadly, your truth and my truth are often tainted by politics, religion, race, media, family, and friends. The only way our truth has any validity is when it lines up completely with the Word of God. That is our benchmark.

Recently a friend of mine and I reconnected on the phone and he was sharing with me a funny experience he had when his liberal nephew came to visit him in Atlanta. My friend is a conservative both politically and spiritually. What could possibly go wrong? LOL. They did get into some deep discussions during the week and broached the taboo subjects of religion and politics. When it became apparent that neither one of them was going to budge on what they believed, my friend said to his nephew, “It is OK that you don't believe like I do. I can respect that, but you will be here two more days and by the end of the week I will have you loving Jesus and wearing a Make America Great Again cap! They both broke out laughing at THAT visual. Laughter is indeed good medicine.

Sometimes we have to agree to disagree on volatile issues; I get that. However, there needs to be more open discussions of differences politically, spiritually, and racially, but more importantly, there needs to be an alignment to God's Word in what we say and what be believe. Some people have been in a rut all their lives and they think that is normal because that is all they have known. We ALL need a spiritual alignment. Just some food for thought, but I believe we can move from grate to great this year if we do this.

P.S. You know the only time everyone seems intent on listening? When there is some juicy gossip to hear!

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

danskognes.com