Good Day,

There were many excuses I could have used.

Good ones too.

I could have tried to talk my way out of it.

There was rationalization...projection...deflection.

Or one that often works...denial!!!

All of these were options I might have used in my defense.

But as my mind whirred and my thoughts churned, and I had to quickly come up with an answer, they all just seemed empty.

Because they were.

I refer to the moment when a person noted that I had said a hurtful thing to another person in a group...one of those times when your lips start before your brain engages!  And what came out was hurtful.

And after the meeting, another person...not the one who had been hurt...pulled me aside and said:

“You could have been better than that.”

OUCH.

It hurt, because---they were right.

I later apologized to the person I had hurt, and I thank God that they quickly offered understanding and forgiveness.  And we moved on to continue a friendship as we served God together in the church.

But the comment made to me by the observer remains:

YOU COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.

Indeed,  we ALL have such moments, when we have said something or done something that was below the standards of what  Christ expects of us...when we have hurt another with our attitude...our silence...our judgment...or thoughtless tongue.

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus is hard...being consistently kind, loving, thoughtful and gentle with one another is often difficult. 

But it is the standard that Christ challenges us with.

So may you remember what was said to me...and know that God says it to us all, in those moments when we fail to lead with love:

YOU COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.

Then, may you have the spiritual insight, understanding and will...

TO BE BETTER.