A dad is too busy dealing with adult babies in the world to remember every errand his family assigns to him. He deals with a complaining boss, parents, students, and customers to both buy the ketchup and build the pantry to keep it in. Try to be understanding if he doesn’t remember where you didn’t tell him where you decided to put the ketchup.
While dad is working, mom is chasing away the dust and moving the laundry that never ends, all while feeding the children who can’t be left alone lest they cause bring apocalypse prematurely. When you get home, thank mom that the house is still standing, thank her more if it’s clean, and bow at her feet if there is food to eat. But, it’s hard to do that unless you hold off judgment before you give each situation a thorough look.
I once told two brothers, “There is a very easy way for your parents to have more energy to be kind, understanding, and never make mistakes: Get rid of you two kids, then they will always be well-tempered, calm people. But, your parents have two growing problems: you and you. Don’t forgive them for loving you. Instead, love them back.”
The problem with being ungrateful for family, friends, neighbors—and everyone—isn’t gratitude, but prejudgment. Don’t criticize another man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.
There are no “easy” decisions in punishing, firing, hiring, or relocating. We can’t throw people away for being sinners, not in families, relationships, nor the workplace. Big mistakes need demotion and diminished stewardship, but we remain useful to someone as long as we breathe. Man-made morals would have us either ignore all mistakes or punish every mistake without mercy. God’s morals are that of redemption: Every punishment must be educational or there is no benefit.
God chastens us because He loves us. When we do what is wrong, we need less responsibility to do less harm, pain to remind us not to do it again, instruction so we can understand how to do better, and there are never easy answers to make that process works. After all, only God is the perfect Judge.
Matthew 7:1-5, Luke 6:37-38