I don't like you....

I have a confession to make.  As a Christian I have a struggle I am loath to admit to; there are some people I just don't like (this is different than not loving or caring) and things about them just rub me wrong, or get on my nerves.  Its not that they're bad people, because they aren't.  I have never seen them be anything but friendly.  Yet, I struggle, because they have a certain habit or trait that just drives me batty. So I struggle.  Sometimes it lays real heavy on my heart.  Like the past couple months....

One of the biggest pet peeves I have are people that "name drop"...  By this I mean people that talk about who they know, what they make, what they do.... How great they are or the great things they have done...  There, you see, its just something that bugs me.  No biggie really, except when it makes me not want to be around them and its extra hard if they are a brother or sister.  Yep....  That's where the rubber meet the road. 

So am I commanded to LIKE my brethren?

In 2 Peter 3:9 (NAS) we can read "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."  This is the longsuffering verse.  God is patient toward us.   If God is patient with us and all our myriad of horrible sins, should I not just count this as a difference of personality and move on?  It's not a salvational issue.  By doing this am I forcing myself to like the action?  Should I confront someone based on a pet peeve?  My heart says no.  It's more of an issue I must work on within my self.  Thus, onward I go..... 

I am looking at some Biblical verses and discovering I could fall into this category, perhaps just by being upset with a haughty personality.  By being peeved am I any better than they?  No....  not really. 

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.  Prov.  16:18

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.  Prov. 18:12

So what is meant by being haughty?  Its as old as the dawn of time.  Adam and Eve thought they could do as they pleased and found out they couldn't.  Cain thought he could offer up a sacrifice of his own choosing and that God would be pleased with anything.  Abel offered up his best to God, Cain did not.  This led to Cain killing Abel.  Being haughty is being prideful. and that is something all the previously mentioned people possessed.  Something we ALL possess, sadly.  In Proverbs 18 it says that we should strive to be humble.  Not boasting about our deeds and exploits.  We aren't to think that because we did, or do XYZ, that we are somehow better than our brethren; We are not to go around tooting our own horn to bring glory upon ourselves.  All the glory goes to God the Father.

Pride (haughtiness) is a struggle of Godly people.  1 Corn. 13:3-5 says, "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.  Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act  unbecomingly;  it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered..."  and 1 John 2:16 (and 17 as well) "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

We all can fall prey to this idea of haughtiness.  We all have and do succumb at some point in our lives.  Romans 12:3 says, "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think..."  In fact, while looking at these verses I see I fall very short.  Maybe I don't verbalize things all the time, but the inkling in my heart counts as well.  Is it some sort of pride which makes me batty over someone's perceived haughtiness?  To be 100% honest, I think it could be argued that it is....  so there it is, in black and white.   

We need to MUST guard against haughtiness in our selves.  In ALL aspects of our lives, not just in dealing with those we view as "good enough"... we need to guard our minds and our spirits.  We need to treat everyone with respect and be humble in spirit, but STRONG for God.  We need to not brag, but also to look with more kindness on everyone, knowing that God looks with kindness on those who are called by His name.  Love doesn't dwell on a wrong suffered, or a perceived wrong suffered; Love dwells on the fertile fields of hope and patience.  Love overlooks a myriad of things, forgives much, and rejoices often.

I may love you.... but it may mean that for my own walk that being friends might just make me stumble.  I am still learning and working on this, the potter isn't done yet.

I would love your thoughts on this.

If you have time please visit Connie over at Gifted by the spirit for some spirit gifted and thought provoking poetry.

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