Hey troops! How is the first semester going? I am hearing great things! I was thinking of what to write for this week and decided on “Pet Peeves.” We all have them, don’t say you don’t, you know you do.

Here is a list of some of mine. I am sure you will be able to relate to some of them:

• Parents who bring their small children to “R” rated movies. I really think this is terrible and actually disgusting that they expose their children to bad stuff.
• When somebody tosses something toward a garbage can, like they think they are the next Michael Jordan, miss and leave the garbage on the ground. Pick it up!
• People who don’t take their shopping carts to the cart location at Walmart. And most of the time it is close to their car.
• People who use profanity whenever they say something. Terrible that our society has become so immune to this.

As I’m listing my pet peeves, I’m realizing they all have one thing in common: People not taking responsibility and overlooking other’s inconvenience for selfish reasons. The bible says,

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:7 - 9)

See? The bible tells us that we should all be responsible for our own actions and strive to do good. Well there you go, all you selfish humans! But wait, the scripture also mentions, 

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. (Galatians 6:1 - 3)

And this gets me thinking... who am I to judge people? Have I not sinned when I have secretly turned a blind eye to avoid conflict? Or the times I have yelled out in frustration instead of "gently helping the person back onto the right path!" Deep down, I also know that I've at times "lived only to satisfy my own sinful nature," however small in scale. As VP of enrollment, I realize I should look out for other believers and guide them towards the righteous path. Ah, another day of enlightenment from God's words. 

Now let's all try to remember that you will always harvest what you plant, and live this week sharing each other's burdens, and obeying the law of Christ. 

Until next time,
Mike (Mookie)