Writing them off.

To the men: There’s something in us that makes us look at another girl’s boyfriend and instantly think, “Douche-bag.”

To pastors: There’s something in us that makes us hear another pastor’s sermon and think, “That was weak. What a show-off. He’s copying that famous guy. Sloppy theology. Bad delivery. I could’ve said that better.”

To bloggers: There’s something in us that sees another blogger and thinks, “He’s just hype. She’s so off. Yeah well what about ____? She missed the whole point. He’s only famous because ____. So pretentious.”

So maybe we could admit this is probably 1) jealousy, 2) insecurity, 3) passive-aggressive haterade, 4) discomfort with someone who’s slightly better than us, or 5) a critical spirit that isn’t really happy with anything.

And instead, we could 1) celebrate each other, 2) learn from others, 3) look out for their best, 4) cultivate potential, and 5) make every effort to resist holding someone down.

Please don’t be too quick to write someone off, especially if you could learn from them. I’ve made this mistake too many times and it left me uppity, intolerable, and alone. Now I just look forward to celebrating others who surpass me, because anything I can do to promote the work of God in that person: I’ll do it. Get me out of the way on that one.

— J