[282 words]
I hate yellow jackets. Over the years, I’ve had many encounters with them. They are aggressive, mean and they hurt everyone
they touch.
Have you ever been around someone who is a “fault-finder?” All they can do is point out flaws and faults in folks. They, like yellow jackets, hurt whoever they sting with their abundant criticisms.
Did you know that such fault-finding is a sin — as evil as the faults that fault-finders find? Jude speaks to the sin of “fault-finding” in Jude 1:15- 16 (best read in the NIV). Jude uses pretty graphic phrases to describe these individuals. He calls them “ungodly sinners” and malcontents” (RSV).
To such fault-finders, no one is good enough at work, in the family, in the neighborhood or at church. Of course, faults are easy to spot be- cause no one is perfect. All the fault-finders have to do is look. So it seems that all they have to do is criticize and judge. If you try to get these people to see the good side of the picture, many of them refuse to listen. They do not want their negative prejudice to be dismissed by the truth. They do not want to know about all the good deeds done by people out of the goodness of their hearts.
It would be nice if we had a spiritual pill which we could give to fault-finders which would instantaneously make them positive, tenderhearted, grateful encouragers. All I know to do is to recommend a strong dose of prayer and Bible reading and to encourage fault-finders to think about such things as whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable (Philippians 4:8).
Larry Fitzgerald
Woodlawn church of Christ
Abilene, TX