Lord, please help me to change - Judith Couchman

THK NEW , IMPROVE D YO Udeliver hi s homily. Why I Love Her Jus t the Wa y She Is . I admiredhis devotion.But th e overweigh t wif e couldn't bas k i n hi s love for long .Immediately anothe r femal e guest countered wit h a hard-edge dsermon abou t What' s Terribly Wrong wit h Obes e People . I resistedhe r arrogance .Just when I had nominate d th e slimmed-dow n lad y a s Mos tPrejudiced Perso n o f the Year , she concluded: " I was right t o los ethe weight, and I give all of the credit t o the Lord! "With scattere d whoop s from th e audience , th e formerl yobese lady' s reputation dwindle d t o nothing. An d i n m y opinion ,so did th e Lord's .JTV/ dually , there' s n o fau x pas great enough t o damage th evri-*-/- Lord' s reputatio n o r stifl e His plans. Yet , because o f ou ropinions, w e can hurtl e potshot s tha t damag e people' s attitude stoward Go d and us .Often it' s when we'v e Finall y "gotte n th e victory " and w ewant struggler s around u s to get it , too. Bu t for various mixed-u preasons, w e accomplish th e opposite o f our intentions , an d afte rwe've conquered a sin, we condemn i t in others. S o the ex-smoke rcriticizes her pufFin g colleague, th e reforme d gossi p lecture s astorytelling neighbor , th e ex-sedentar y can' t stomac h a n out-of -shape friend , an d th e Christia n who' s finall y mastere d adevotional lif e looks down o n he r undisciplined spiritua l sister .The basi c stor y isn' t new . Twenty-Fiv e centuries ago , Aeso ptold a brief fabl e about a wolf and som e shepherds . The anima lpeered int o a hut t o watch th e shepherd s chom p o n a mutto njoint." These shepherds see m mightil y please d wit h themselve stoday. Bu t later , when the y are ful l and n o longe r nee d th e mut -ton, the y wil l condemn m e fo r doing th e sam e thing, " sneere dthe wolf. 4SWhile the fable's plot misse s compelling action, the author' smoral hit s our hearts : W e are to o ap t t o condemn i n others wha twe have done ourselves . And nobod y love s a critic.An eve n wise r Ma n explained : "Fo r out o f the fullnes s . . .of the hear t th e mout h speaks " (Matthe w 12:34b ; AMPLIFIED) . S Owhen w e ask, "I'v e go t i t together; wh y don't you? " our tongue sreally wag about our col d hearts ./J7