I am blessed. I say this not because of the acquisition of any specific material possession(s) or merely because I am able to move about on my own power. It is not because I am able to have fathered children or have known of the tender love of a woman. It's not even the friends whom I have had the pleasure of obtaining over the years nor my enemies who have taught me so much, (especially how to pray). No, I must say that I am blessed because I have been afforded the ability to look myself in the eye and say to my soul; there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; neither hid that shall not be known. (Luke 12:2)
Have you ever met someone who always had something to say about everybody...and with an attitude? In my day we labeled this type of action signifying. It was always easy to spot a signifying person. They often had a critical expression on their face and their eyes never missed anything. Rather than correct a problem they would choose to draw every one's attention to some one's embarrassing moment. If you were standing near them they would remain focused on their subject while with one hand tap you until you looked at them and followed their face to its target. Perhaps they were focused on someone wearing something they "had no business wearing in public", or maybe it was an interracial couple, a handicapped person, or a terribly obese individual; whatever the case, they were always keenly aware of what was happening or about to happen EVEN IF IT DID NOT CONCERN THEM AT ALL.
Sadly, even today there are so many who claim to be living the righteous lifestyle but cannot keep their hands off other people's business. These folks pity everyone except themselves. We look at certain individuals who seem to have attained and we desire to be as they are but we never take into account what it took for that person to get to where he/she is. The disciples of Jesus were like that. They saw the great works that Jesus did and heard the awesome messages he preached and some asked if they could sit at his side and share in his glory. Jesus asked a simple question of them; "Can you drink from the same cup I am bound to drink from"? (Matthew 20:22) If many of us knew of the trials and trauma and pain and lost and disgrace and the hurt or the evil we were going to endure in our lives would we still have gone into this walk or would we have chosen another path? Of course, I would like to believe that I would have still chosen to be the person I am today. Not because I have it all together and I have never known of the cloudy side of life, but rather because of my experiences, (which are many and still counting), which have taught me that I am no better than any body else and that it is only by God's grace that I am not a convict, a murderer, a thief or dead. And I have been richly blessed to have met others who are similar to myself; individuals who are both near and some afar, whom I can openly speak to and with concerning my most secret thoughts and they do not judge me or put my business on the 6 O'clock news.
Being real is not a right, but a privilege. It is a privilege to be considered a true friend. It is a privilege to love your neighbor. It is a privilege to love yourself.
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