Let's Learn To”Back Up”
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesRelative to the subject of marital happiness, Brother Marshall Keeble once said:
“The trouble with married folk is they don’t know how to back up. Folks have a fuss and nobody is willing to back up and say, “I was wrong.” As he reflected on the foolishness of that practice, he went on to remark, “Brethren, I just wouldn’t have a car that wouldn’t back up.”
Brethren and friends, many human relations problems could be settled if folks could just find the “reverse” position in the gearbox of their minds. How many church splits could have been avoided had contentious brethren been willing to “back up.”
Families fighting over the inheritance of property, could save themselves hurt if they would learn to “back up.” Parents and children could alleviate some of the difficulty met in the generation battle simply by learning to “back up.”
It is not a mark of wisdom and maturity to stand like a stone wall when we are wrong. The mature person owns up to his mistakes. He’s not too big to say, “I’m sorry” (cf. Luke 15:11-21).
James writes:
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16).
He’s telling us that it is spiritually healthy to “back up.”
Why is it hard to “back up?” What causes a person to insist on saving face? The answer is too much human pride and selfishness. Satan uses these tools to deceive us. The man who won’t “back up” is deluded. He thinks he’s right (Acts 26:9-12; 1 Timothy 1:12-13). He can give you a hundred arguments in defense of his position. Little does he realize that he has fallen victim to Satan’s trickery.
The Proverb writer says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 12:15). The way out of human conflict is simple — so easy to see in the lives of others — so difficult to practice on a personal level.
Brethren and friends, let’s learn to “back up!”
Related Articles:
- The Impact Of Attitude On Life
- Let’s Not Have The Nature Of A Mule!
- I Ain’t Talkin’ To That Old Mule!”
Related Website:
- Pioneer Preachers.com (scroll to bottom of page to hear Bro. Keeble’s sermons).