The Problem May Be...

I read a story about a young Wall Street broker who had fallen in love with a woman that he had been dating. He was financially set and was wary of anyone with whom he might share a relationship. He was concerned that she or anyone, for that matter, might somehow, through a close relationship, damage his reputation or that this woman might only be interested in his money. Therefore, he had one of his associates hire a detective to investigate this woman to see if there was something he might need to know. However, he also did not want the private eye to know that it was he who wanted this investigation for himself, fearful that the woman might find out later and think that he did not trust her. So the broker got this associate to hire the detective to investigate the woman for him without telling the detective who was actually hiring the detective and paying the bill. Got the picture?

After a few weeks, the detective completed the assignment and returned with the report on the young lady in whom the broker was interested. The written report stated, “I have investigated the woman thoroughly and she is squeaky clean. Perfect in every facet of her life—no character flaws, no known mistakes. She is on the up and up in every detail of her life. However, the only concern in her personal life is that she is often seen around town in the company of a young broker whose dubious business practices and shady character are well known.”

This story makes me smile. It also serves to illustrate the idea that the problem may be you. It’s true. Sometimes we are quick to look at the fault in others while failing to look at ourselves. An old song says, “It’s me O’ Lord standing in the need of prayer.” It may be best in any problem situation to assess our own behavior first to see if we may somehow be at fault. Jesus reminds us to do this, “In the same way you judge others, you will be judged” (Matthew 7:2).

Let this serve as a good reminder for us all to take a look in the mirror…

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron