I think the hardest thing to do as a human being is change… everyone as they grow up develop a “default” way of being, we tend to become repetitive and comfortable.

When I review myself, I think I’m a fairly hard worker for my job, but sometimes I get into a comfort zone, and I think comfort zones are dangerous.

I think people are at their best when they break onto new ground; do something not normal, and not at all comfortable. Its usually during these moments when we can invoke real change in our lives.

I’ve been high and low in regards to my job, life in general; when you’re on a “high” its easy to look around and feel like you can judge the people around you and I’ve certainly guilty of that. But I’ve changed my mind on the subject – about how I view the human condition.

I don’t think it matters how socially “important” you are, how good you look, or how much you have all your business together. I find when my relationship with God is good, my relations with people are good. Pharisees back in their day were at the top of the social strata, no one was more well dressed, moved with an air of authority, and they were highly groomed and also quite intelligent.

Pharisees thought they were better than everyone else, they were highly educated, arrogant, conceited, and prone to self worship and self centric adulation. But they really didn’t matter, the human equivalent of tofu. Imagine thinking that you’re the cats ass and then finding out there is no cat 😂😁😏.

I work with people who society would not see as important, and would generally be laughed at, and I love them dearly. They are more real, more approachable, and have a ring of genuine authenticity to their humanity. I’d pick one of them over 100 modern “Pharisees” in a heartbeat.

As I get older I realize how important is it to treat other people with respect, I think society, even church going Christians have lost that, we judge each other to such a high degree and we have no right to do it.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t be held accountable, I’m saying if you mock someone or try to deceive them – it says a lot more about you than anyone else. The measuring cup you use to judge others will also used for you.

Working with marginalized First Nations people (as being indigenous myself), I’ve seen first hand the destructive force of judgement against those people. The damage it does to a persons self-esteem may never be recovered. I defend those people, many of them are super human beings, but they haven’t been treated that way.

Anyone can put someone else down, it takes no special effort to make someone feel worthless inside, people are already struggling with suicidal thoughts, they don’t need to feel more hurt, they need to feel more loved. My personal opinion is that its weak people of low character that push others down, real authentic human beings hold others up – they keep others from falling, they offer words of encouragement, they offer hope where perhaps none currently exists. Sometimes people are at the end of their rope, they want to drown themselves, life has been cruel and they don’t feel worthy or loved, as Christians – we need to step in and show the mercy and love that Christ has so willingly done for us – we are called to it and have no excuse.

Hurt people need a path to follow, a road that takes them to the best version of themselves, when you put someone down – its like you erase part of their path – that’s an evil thing to do, is that who you really want to be – is that all you bring to the table?

I have a challenge for anyone who reads this message, when you wake up tomorrow, I want you to do something special for someone else, it doesn’t have to be a big thing, you can even just pray, but do something that lifts another person up.

Jason