Is there ever value in meanness?

I have had several situations over the last few days where I have had to question my motives and manners. I have always been a very direct person and that at times has been confused by others as being rude. But if I am going to be totally honest, I think that sometimes I am mistaking rudeness for being direct. It is so easy to think that others are mistaking what we are doing or saying rather than us misspeaking or just flat out being wrong. I consider myself a pretty intelligent guy and I quite often find myself thinking that I know more than the person I am speaking to. That is a really bad character flaw for me. The bible tells us that humility is one of the most important traits we should strive for. True humility is a lot harder than we think. We can all fake humility and most of the time others will believe us, but if in our hearts we remain arrogant we have not pleased God. So the the question I have been forced to ask myself is as follows: "Is there ever value in meanness?" The easy answer is no. But is that the best answer? I like to watch a T.V. show called "House" and the lead character is just an ASS to everyone he comes into contact with. He belittles others and ignores their feelings on a regular basis. But in doing this he always solves the puzzle in front of them. So in turn, he saves their lives! He is very intelligent and usually is much smarter than those he is dealing with. He and his co-workers excuse his behavior because he is so good at what he does and the results are unbelievably good. I only talk about this character so much because I feel like I am a lot like him. I have had a lot of success in my career and that success has allowed me to be a jackass at times. I am not proud of being that! As I mature I have come to realize that the result is not the most important thing. People are the most important thing! If the results are there at the end and you are standing there by yourself, it isn't worth it. So in my opinion, there is not value in meanness, only pain. And the pain is not only to the one on the receiving end, it is to everybody involved!

Discipline Feels Good

I can't believe I just wrote that title, but it is true! I have never been one to follow much in the way of discipline, but I actually look forward to it more than ever. I think that we all look at discipline as something negative or mean and it is actually something that comes from love. Think about it! We love our children and want them to learn the best ways to do things so we correct them. Of course this idea is not from our own minds but from God. Everyone has heard the verse in Proverbs about "sparing the rod and spoiling the child". So anyways, back to my original thought. As I have made the decision to make some changes in my life over the last year I have discovered that I enjoy the fruits of discipline way more than the fruits of having none. I started to make some things a priority in my life like spending time daily in the word and sharing with others what I learn. I have gained so much encouragement and joy from this. At the end of the year I underwent gastric bypass surgery and all I can say is WOW! I never realized the changes that would take place after. It is not as easy as it sounded. I have not been able to eat what I want and just be lazy as I want. I have had to change not only the amount of food I eat but also the types of food. But now that I have made those changes I actually like them. So I encourage everyone to look past the pain of discipline to the other side of it. That is where "Discipline Feels Good"!