A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers   

Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” A salesman, visiting his barber for a haircut, mentioned that he was about to take a trip to Rome. The barber, who came from Italy, said, “Rome is a terribly overrated city. What airline are you taking and what hotel are you staying at?” When the salesman told him, the barber criticized the airline for being undependable and the hotel for having horrible service. He told him, “Friend, you’d be better off to just stay home.” But the salesman insisted: “I’m expecting to close a big deal, and then I’m going to see the pope.” The barber shook his head and said, “You’ll be disappointed trying to do business in Italy and I wouldn’t count on seeing the pope. He only grants audiences to very important people.” Two months later, the salesman returned to the barber shop. The barber asked, “How was your trip?” The salesman replied, “Wonderful! The flight was perfect; the service at the hotel was excellent. I made a big sale, and I got to see the pope!” The barber was astounded. “You got to see the pope? What happened?” “Well,” said the salesman, “I bent down and kissed his ring.”  “No kidding! And what did he say?” “Well, he looked down at my head and then said to me, ‘My son, where did you ever get such a lousy haircut?’” My, how we must guard against possessing a critical spirit. Being critical in our words and attitudes fosters a snowball-like affect in our lives. What begins as moderate criticism, soon becomes a critical spirit that envelopes us and becomes pervasive in our thoughts, words and deeds. Critical attitudes soon form into a critical persona that will, in the end, leave us bitter and cynical. Notice the words of our Lord in our Scripture lesson today. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Our Lord encourages us to foster a meek disposition. Meekness is not weakness; but it is an uncritical disposition that can impact, in a positive way, every aspect of our lives as well as the lives of those we encounter. The posture we assume each day is left up to us. The attitude we embrace can determine whether we live in the darkness of bitterness and criticism, or in the light of positive words and deeds, with each new day.