HONORING OTHERS' RIGHT

We live in a quite dense area. We can almost always hear what our next door neighbors say. The benefit of living in such area is the good relationship between neighbors. You know your 400 meters-neighbors' names. People will give you help if you need one. But, the weakness is people will know what you do, what you've been through. They'll talk about you in "groups" chat. They'll think negatively if you are a more individual person and don't know how to adjust yourselves to them.

Another weakness of living in such area is that some people sometimes do not understand about privacy. They'll turn on radio or television very loud. They'll make noise with their vehicles around your house. The fact is other people almost have no time to live in "peacefulness". They know that they have right to do so, but they don't know that other people also have right to live in peacefulness.

We often speak about right. We demand it so bad, especially if we think that another person has taken it from us. We speak about freedom for every human. But, sometimes we forget that we live with limitation, that our freedom is still inside of a "room with walls around", that our right is limited by others' right.

Let us learn from Paul. He had the right to take advantage from his ministry, but he didn't do it. Let us learn from Jesus. He had the right not to take the cross, but He preferred to obey His Father and died for us. Let us learn from God. He has right to create us as His robots, but no, He prefers to create us with free will, even if we don't use it to choose Him.

Let us be a Christian who knows how to put ourselves among so many people. One way to bless they who don't know about Christ is to live by honoring their right. We might not be comfortable with that because we have to put others' interest before us, but don't worry, He loves those who love their neighbors. And, remember that one way to honor right is by understanding that our right is limited by others' right.

Dear Father in heaven, give me Your wisdom to live in the world, among they know know You, especially among they who haven't known You. Teach me to put others' interest before mine and help me to see the wage You've prepared for they who obey. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Php. 2:4