This is really interesting because my sister feels I do a lot of gloating. She says I have been attending a lot of church and that it should have humbled me, but it did not. She continues to add that I've been living with my parents and have no job and that I'm really lucky that I do not need to pay any rent. Ironically, she stated that the only reason I did work in the first place was because I was not going to school and that I would be going to school, if I didn't work. I guess your sibling knows you the best, especially if she is being honest with you. I think she feels that with me gaining more spiritual knowledge, it's been making me appear more prideful to her.
I'm pretty glad that I don't really get mad with her anymore whenever she says stuff like that to me. It really seems that my sister is still a little ignorant to the full meaning of me. If I do things so unwillingly and it is offending people, then God might as well just strike me with a lightning bolt and take me up to heaven. It's really funny that people really rely on other's opinions for reputation. I sort of see this ideology in my sister; she doesn't see herself as nearly that bad as me. She even continues to complain that I may be judging her too much. I think there is some lifestyle that my sister would prefer to hide about herself.
The Bible states to be wise as a serpent and soft as a dove (Matt 10:16). We should be discerning about others, especially when sharing our faith with them. We need to be ready to be witty with our tongues to thwart conflict. We should also not be in a really attacking mood with others, to go far as to offend them. This is something I have had to work on because I've grown up with a mom and sister whose countless frustrations have to be dealt with. I think they choose not to listen to me, so I always felt I would not have a big voice in the circle. Awhile back, I messaged an estranged friend about how he was immorally wrong for planning revenge even in a joking mood with a girl who hurt his feelings. It also didn't help that he had kept yelling at me and telling me irrelevant faults that did not directly deal with him. After that e-mail he said he was no longer my friend; two weeks later he was shaking my hand. Boy, was he pretty unstable about himself? I think my words really do have an impact on people because it makes them not want to see how sinful they are especially when they are in a prideful state.
Overall, I feel that my reputation is pretty good and appear to have a pretty high life, even though I honestly state I'm struggling. It looks like God has blessed me with a mother, father, and sister. Even though their cranks may not be satisfying to me at times, I still feel a privilege to be ordained to them by God. In these young years that I am in, I'm not going to foolishly waste them away anymore(!) like other acquaintances have done for their own pleasures.
Academy of Scrappy Credible Undergraduate Desire
