[186 words]
In July of 1993 an offshore oil rig northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland had a catastrophic failure. The entire rig caught fire and eventually exploded. The cause was attributed to a safety valve that had been removed and not replaced.
Why would anyone do that? It was part of a safety inspection to see if the rig was a safe work environment.
Many times, our attempts to ‘fix’ things make them worse. We may think that our judging of things will make them better. They rarely do.
Consider what the Scriptures teach in James 5:9, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”
Our complaints often lead to discouragement and disputes and blowups without ever doing anything to help the thing we are complaining about. Instead of trying to be the judge, a position we are not qualified for, let’s be a helper or a fixer. Instead of pulling things apart, let’s work to strengthen and build them up.
Let’s not create problems, let’s work to keep them at bay.
Barry Haynes
Hope church of Christ
Hope, AR