21 Aug It’s Family Time in Tennessee

“The Paradoxical Commandments”

By Dr. Kent Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

As we push closer towards the Fall and holiday season, we are reminded of the expected family get-togethers. We will experience unseen family members, troublemaker members, “the favorites”, spoiled members, and the less fortunate. In every family including our “church family” there are loads of verbal criticism and expectations.

We as humans remember the words that are shared in these encounters, and holiday time can leave you in disappointment or hurt. We should be encouraged by the words of Dr. Keith. His Paradoxical Commandments are guidelines for finding personal meaning in a world of critics. The Lord Jesus warned His disciples about being critical of faults in others while being blind to even greater faults in themselves (Matthew 7:1-5).

Regardless of opinions, criticism, and expectations from family or church family members, I want you to be encouraged not to allow these things to destroy the fellowship of the family this Fall and holiday season.

We all have crazy families.

With Love, embrace them anyway.

Rev. Jason Taylor