Who is the self-righteous SOB? Me. Yeah, I think I’m so good compared to everyone else. Sometimes the illusion continues in face of the stark reality that other people are better than me at something. And always the truth is right there in front of my face, just daring me to realize and see it.
For instance, driving in my car. I’m a really good driver and I pride myself upon my knowledge of the rules of the road. What does that do for me? Makes it really easy for me to see when the OTHER guy is not quite following the rules. Somehow, though, I seem to be almost totally blinded to my own failures to follow the rules. For instance, I speed, as a common practice, to make up for one of my other shortcomings, a failure to plan. Yet, I am so willing to overlook my own breaking of the rules in order to yell at a fellow driver whom I observe breaking the rules. What a hypocrite I am!
Luckily, our qualification to continue to drive isn’t decided by how well we obey all of the rules of the road (there ARE exceptions), much in the same way that God doesn’t decide to love us by how well we obey religious rules and regulations (there are NO exceptions). The understanding of the rules usually helps us to see violations, but doesn’t necessarily help us color inside the lines. Always we will find ourselves concerned with where the boundaries are and attempting to not cross them. Usually, those who think they’re always coloring inside the lines are too busy pointing out the mistakes of others who aren’t. But we are not identified by our mistakes, it’s the world that looks at it that way, not God.
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