An ancient Chinese proverb says “The fire you kindle against another often burns you more than it will ever burn another. To keep your temper under control is the toughest kind of discipline it says.
This story goes thus. A boy named Woo Sing was on the field like all little boys playing. His father came home from a long trip while Woo Sing was not home, with a mirror. Woo had never seen a mirror in his life. This mirror was hung in the main room, and when Woo came home, he did not know what it was. He thought his father had brought home a boy just like him. A friend?
The thought made him happy as he took steps towards this other boy before him. Woo spoke to this boy but the boy did not answer. He smiled and waved and the boy did the same.
Woo stopped, deep in thought, does this boy not hear? Maybe, I should go closer. As Woo walked towards this boy, the strange boy walked towards him, mimicking his every move.
Woo Sing was livid with anger, “This boy mocks me; he does everything that I do.” The more Woo thought about this strange boy, the more irritated he became. He was so enraged that he took a long stride towards the boy and struck him, the boy in the mirror, ouch, Woo felt a searing pain and watched in shock as the boy in the mirror crumbled in pieces all over the floor. He ran to his father crying.
His father said to him, “The boy you saw was your own image.” This should teach you an important lesson, my son. Do not lose your temper with other people. What you see in them is in you! You struck the boy in the glass and hurt only yourself. And broke my mirror!
The moral of this story is that “In life when you strick without cause you will hurt yourself most of all”
2 Corinthians 13 asked us to5-9 Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.
10 I’m writing this to you now so that when I come I won’t have to say another word on the subject. The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart. I want to get on with it, and not have to spend time on reprimands.
Just own up! Own up to your mistakes, your assumptions, and miscalculations! Own up to the fact that you do fall into errors like everyone else! Come off your high horse, my friend!
You reveal so much about your character, who you are in your core by the way you treat others, especially those you think are beneath your social class or are disadvantaged. Repent!
Shalom! Shalom! Shalom!
