Article June 19, 2000 Issue

Ask yourself: is it my bag of cookies?

By Cynthia K. H. Philip

One of my brothers was planning on doing something so totally ridiculous that I really wanted to point out the error of his ways. Then I wanted to tell another sibling, who I knew agreed with me, to call our brother and set him straight. I succumbed to these urges. Then came shame. Finally, I began to yield to what I knew was right direction from God: to first correct my own perspective and thinking.

It's not uncommon to see a situation that appears so wrong (to our sense of things) that we can't seem to bear it, and we want to do something to change it. But what we could do instead is pause—and pray. And then let God show us how best to bring the light of healing to the situation. The Bible states, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Josh. 24:15). In my case, I knew I wanted to choose God.

Meddling in another person's business can insinuate that we know more than God, or that we could even do a better job of caring for His children than He can. Self-will in its finest hour! Delving unasked into someone else's private business, like walking into someone else's home without permission, is trespassing.

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