Track Record

I was talking to my son, Trevor, on the phone the other day as he sat on his patio in Texas.  Just then I heard a voice calling in the background and Trevor was responding and  laughing.  "That was my neighbor," he chuckled.  "I told him I was talking to my mom, and he said to tell you that you raised a great son!"  I heard something else, and he continued, "Now he said I am the best church member he has!" (His neighbor is also his pastor, whom we had met several times.)

What a nice thing to say!  I felt a warm glow of appreciation and motherly pride in our son.  It is always gratifying when others remark positively about your children, even if they are now adults! It reminded me of something I read on Facebook the other day (which happened to be a post by another son, Jamie.)  He said something like, "I wonder what God hears about you in Heaven when your name is mentioned in others' prayers?"

It was thought provoking, even though he used humorous scenarios such as "Lord, please chastise so-and-so because he is such a big insensitive jerk," or "Please bless so-and-so because she was so nice to me today."  Then I noticed that he had cited two scripture references, II Corinthians 9:12-14 and Genesis 18:20-21.

The first reference is when Paul was thanking God for the church at Corinth and their help in ministering to the saints there: "For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but it is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God," II Cor. 9:12.

The second scripture says, "And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; (21) I will go down now, and see whether they  have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come unto me; and  if not, I will know."

It's a good thing I'm not  in charge of judging others.  I think it would be humanly impossible to be impartial.  The Bible questions in Romans 14:4, "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant?"  In the matter of taking communion,  I Corinthians 11:28 tells us to examine ourselves.  Verse 31 says that if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

Trevor has been joining his wife in 5k runs recently.  They have been exceeding their own personal records, much to their satisfaction.  That is the best way to judge--not comparing ourselves to others, but in improving our own personal best!