For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.” vs. 2
James 3:1-6
In a moment of candid reflection our old friend James hints that perhaps even he makes mistakes in the course of living a Christ-centered life. His problem, as with so many of us, seems to have been his mouth, but his own struggle with his tongue doesn’t keep him from taking his readers to task for their own failures in that regard. And that’s pretty much the way it is with all believers. The brokenness of our own lives makes us experts as we regard the lives of others. We know all the tricks, all the ways in which we attempt to cover our mistakes, and we can spot those same foibles in others with no difficulty at all. That’s really not a problem in relationships. In fact, it can be helpful to know when someone is struggling with the same things as we are. Where it becomes a problem is when we put on pious faces and imply that we are sin-free. At least James admitted that he too was broken, and that allowed him to write with some measure of integrity as he offered counsel to his congregation. Even though we’re sinners, we crave restoration, we want to be that better version of ourselves. And when we mess up in our relationships, it’s really nice to be able to get things right eventually.
Thought for the Day: Where is my brokenness most obvious?
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