Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? In the old westerns, all you had to do was see who was wearing the white hat and who was wearing the black hat. It’s not that easy now. For example… Edward Snowden. Good guy or bad guy? The NSA. Good guys or bad guys?
How do you tell them apart? Both may have strong reasons for their actions. Both may passionately believe they’re right. Both may even pray to God. Yet they stand in opposition to one another.
It’s hard for us to truly discern the nature of a person’s heart…especially if that person is looking back at us in the mirror. The good guys and the bad guys will eventually reveal themselves, but it takes some time, some testing and some trust.
To take this to another level…
Check out what Scripture says in Psalm 7. There, the writer says that only God can really know what’s in the heart and mind of a person. This means He is much better at discerning the “good guys” from the “bad guys” than we are. And on top of that, we need to be reminded that under God’s examination, we all wear the black hat at times.
Because of these things, the best thing we can do is:
- Be as discerning as we can with others
- Be as honest as we can about ourselves
- Be as loving as we can with everyone
- Leave the ultimate judging up to God.
There will always be good guys and bad guys, so may God help us see when we’re the ones wearing the black hat.
Is it easier for you to point out the “bad guy” in others, than to see it in yourself? What’s one thing you could do to change that?
Copyright © 2014 Bret Legg