Messages are constantly being conveyed. These messages are verbal and nonverbal. People judge if we like them, based on the messages that we are conveying. If we are constantly criticizing someone and pointing out their flaws, they are going to assume that we think they are inadequate. If we are constantly being sarcastic and joking about them in an unkind way, they are going to assume that we do not like them. If we are comparing them to others, they are going to assume that we think they are less than the people around them.

Problems will come. Some problems are not preventable. These unpreventable problems can cause a lot of anxiety while we are anticipating them. We worry, fret, and frantically try to avoid them. The anxiety that we feel inside, while we are trying to avoid the unavoidable problem, is often significantly worse than the anxiety the problem will actually produce.

In order to determine if we are good at something, our mind has to have a standard to compare against. Our mind will constantly use people around us as a means to judge our current position. Jealousy occurs when we compare our current state to the state of others and we feel that we are less than them. Pride occurs when we compare our current state to the state of others and we feel we are doing better than them.

We often want to heal the pain that we see in others. We are not healers. Jesus Christ is the healer. People work on themselves and grow through the grace of God. We cannot do another person’s growth. We cannot apply the power of grace. We are simply a tool in the Master’s hand.