Common Ailments

Acts 4:32 English Standard Version

They Had Everything in Common

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

This is about what ails me. Since the Word is true, then this ails us all.

I am intolerant. This is a disorder which has varying degrees. For some of us it is nothing more than a minor nuisance. We might not even notice it as much as an itch we can scratch. For me, it is a trigger I must not pull because it can wound others.

I confess this in order to tell those of us that suffer this same degree of irritation that we are not alone and there is help for all of us.

My latest foray into intolerance comes with the reporting of Hurricane Lee being reported to likely hit Downeast Maine, specifically Eastport, Maine on the Canadian border. That is not what downest means. It irritated me every time I hear it.

That is absolutely harmless for a weather forecaster to get wrong. Having grown up in Maine and being a Downeaster myself is how I identify with my childhood. 

This affects only me and people like me. That isn’t the point here. I live with people I love and they should not have to listen to me complaining every time that report comes on tv. What it does do is tell them that if I am that intolerant of a weatherman, what must I think of them.

James wrote to us about the unbridled tongue. God’s word is true. It harms the trust in relationships even when it is not aimed at a person present at the time.

I have taken God’s Word to heart and know it is true and I have bridled my tongue. While I might feel it, I don’t have to infect others. As a Christian I should model control.