The Bible for Women

Weekly Devotional

It Depends Upon Who's Speaking

by Brother Floyd C. Johnson

Huntington Park Church of Christ

"The singing was bad, the singing was good." I have heard both comments after the same service over the years. "You spoke a little too long; I could have listened another hour." Believe it or not I heard that once! "The elders made the wrong decision; our elders always seem to be in tune with the needs of the congregation."

Now which one of these statements is true? Answer: none of them! It is all a matterof personal perception, an opinion stated as fact. An opinion or perception is a personal matter usually based on feelings. It is a statement of preference; of likes and dislikes.

Some people seem to be upset all the time and over everything. Others seem to always be able to maintain an even keel. Here is one I have heard often and one contradicts the other. "You people are not very friendly; you people are the friendliest group of people I have ever known." Now which one is correct? Which one do you base a decision on? Where should we focus out attention?

It isn't that genuine problems don't need to be addressed. Solutions should be found for real problems, but you cannot deal with everyone's feelings, opinions, and personal preferences that some may express. My friends, Jesus could not please everybody, and neither can we!

May God bless your week. Margie