03 Jun Why Should I? (Learning to see yourself as God see you!) Gal. 3:11 Part 4

The Bible tells us, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he” (Prov. 23:7). According to Solomon, the second wisest man to ever live, how you see yourself is absolutely vital! Your “inward portrait” is so important because:

1. How you see yourself determines what you see!

There were two shoe salesmen transferred to a Caribbean island. The first salesman called the home office and said, “No need to send any shoes here…no one wears shoes.” The second salesman called the home office and exclaimed, “Send all the shoes you got…no one wears shoes here!”

Remember this, you can’t separate your identity from your perspective.

2. How you see yourself determines how you see others!

A tourist from the states was visiting an old Irish village. As they approached the gates of this village, they came across an old bearded villager who had lived there all his life. The traveler asked the old man, “What are the people like in this village?” The old man replied, “What were the people like in the last village you came from?” “Mean, untrustworthy and detestable”, the traveler exclaimed. To which the old villager replied, “That’s pretty much how you’ll find the people here.”

Later that day a second traveler wandered by and asked the same question of the old man, “What are the people in this village like?” “What were the people like in the last village?” the old man again replied. “Honest, sincere and kind”, the second traveler reported. “That’s pretty much how you’ll find them here” said the old villager.

Remember this, coping with difficult people is always a problem when the difficult person happens to be you! Remember this also…you are the only person you can never get away from!

Next week, we’ll continue our series!