"'LOOKIN' SOME BEANS"

As I was growing up our menus quite often included pinto beans. I remember when mom was preparing to cook a pot of beans; she would often say to me, “I need you to ‘look’ some beans.” What she meant was for me to open the sack of beans and as I poured them in the pot I was to look for tiny rocks, bad beans, or some other piece of debris that might have gotten packaged with the beans. I got pretty good at ‘looking’ beans. We also did the same thing with leaf lettuce out of the garden. We ‘looked’ the lettuce before we included it in our salads. I usually found something I would have to discard, throw away. In other words I got really good at looking for the bad among the good.

By The Way the practice of looking for the bad is all too common even among those who claim to be Christians. We ‘look’ our neighbors, our friends, our pastors, our government leaders, and even our family members. We get so accustomed to finding the bad we miss the good. I am not saying we should be gullible, and undiscerning. But as believers we are to emphasis the good, and encourage the positive.

Paul said in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I once heard a story about a gentleman moving into a new town. As he entered the town, he stopped along side the street and called out to a man on the sidewalk. He said, “I am new in town and just wanted to know what kind of people live here.” The local gentleman asks, “What kind of people lived in the town you are leaving?” “Oh,” said the newcomer, “some of the meanest, most unfriendly people I have ever been around.” “Well,” came the reply, “that’s the kind of people you will find here.”

Later that day, another gentleman came into town planning to leave his former home and move to a new residence. He saw a gentleman walking down the sidewalk, and he pulled over. Though he was unaware of it, it was the same man who had talked to the first newcomer. He ask the gentleman, “I was wondering, I’m moving to your town, and just wanted to ask, what kind of people live here?” The reply came back, “what kind of folks did you have in the town you are leaving?” Said the newcomer, “some of the greatest, nicest people you would ever want to meet.” “Well,” said the local, that’s the kind of people you will find here.”

BLOGTHOT: IF WE WONDER WHY WE ARE ALWAYS SEEING THE BAD INSTEAD OF THE GOOD, IT’S BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR