I was just thinking of a catch phrase today, and something just popped into my head, "Cannibalistic Integrity." Sounds weird doesn't it? But what could it mean? Cannibals supposedly eat people. Now couple that with integrity and what do you get? You get a trait whereby a person says they are telling the truth and they try to convince you no matter how much you prove without a shadow of a doubt that they are wrong, they will still say they are right on something. Do you know of such a person? The type of person who eats integrity alive by making others think they are always right. These are the type of people who are only happy if you kiss their rear end all the time. These are the extremely arrogant people that feel they could do no wrong. But the reason they do this is to cover up for their inadequacies and reach the top of the corporate ladder not by working hard, but by making others work hard so they can take all the credit. We go through each day trying to make ourselves as honest as possible and then there is that one person who has our integrity for breakfast without even batting an eyelash. There are a lot of people like that in the world. And no matter how much we try to stay away from somebody like that we still bump into them from time to time. The trick is not to let them get to you. Easier said than done because they try to get you to admit you're wrong even though there is not even a shadow of a doubt that you are right and the other person is wrong. Luke 17:3-4 "Rebuke your brother if he sins, and forgive him if he is sorry. 4 Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, forgive him." TLB We have to forgive them and then forget. But how do you forget? It is ingrained in our minds. So maybe what we should do is just accept that which we can not forget. Galatians 2:19 for it was through reading the Scripture that I came to realize that I could never find God's favor by trying-and failing-to obey the laws. I came to realize that acceptance with God comes by believing in Christ. TLB When we learn to accept that which we can not forget or control, we start to realize that when we can't control how we feel about something we should ask God for guidance. Because if we don't learn to accept the faults of others they will bug us over and over again. The thing to think about here is that we all have faults. Sometimes we may not even realize what we are doing and how it effects another person because we get wrapped up in the moment and don't think enough about the ramifications. We may get angry and lash out at someone, but when you hurt another person, you are quite often hurting yourself. This is because anger has a habit of whipping us back to reality, sometimes in the most harshest of ways. With presence of love there is very little anger if any. That's because love is an emotion that we more deeply feel than any other emotion. We are taken into this fantasy world of thought when we are in love and it makes us forget the problems and often blinds us to the truth. Then when we get to know the other person more, we start to see their faults, and we may even see those faults in ourselves projected on the other. But the thing to think about here is that love conquers all, or so the saying goes. The only reason it may not, is because we make our own selfishness blind us to our true feelings. I think that is what happens in divorce. We think that it must be the other persons fault, when a lot of the problems we have could stem from a lack of confidence in ourselves. It may be that one of the persons in the relationship feels they don't deserve the other because they are so sweet and kind. But God wants you to be happy. Happy in the knowledge that His love is available to you 24/7, and He will always be there for you. It is so easy to obsess on things. We obsess on fears and we think often of bad things people have said to us. A harsh word can often have a repetitive nature inside us. But you can run those thoughts a million times over in your mind and it accomplishes nothing. Sometimes I wonder if some people will actually say bad things because they know their words will have power over you and make you feel bad. Their intention is for evil and they want to have the knowledge that they are controlling someone else. I think they may do it sometimes without even realizing it because they are so distraught over their own inadequacies that they can't see beyond them. They do not see God in their hearts because they have closed Him out. Not because they want to but because they are upset about their situation in life and they are not a happy camper. When you realize this about someone that has put you down, that is the first step in the healing process towards being strong in what you believe in and you are not going to let another persons emotions rule over you. I have often heard the phrase, "Let go, let God." We need to let go of obsessive thoughts and not let them get the best of us. Let God be more a part of your life. And don't let the Cannibalistic Integrity of others control your destiny of being loved by God. Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for understanding me even though I often don't understand myself. Give me the insight into what I need to do to make myself a better person through your love and your guidance. Don't let me obsess on things. Instead, remind me often of your love. I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen. Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen. Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless. © 2004 Bryan Hill |
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"Cannibalistic
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