Cloak of a Pharisee

I was in Wal-mart the other day with two items in my hand. So I go up to the "express" lane (Sidebar: for the lane to be "express" in the true sense of the word, you would be living in the twilight zone; in reality it's an oxymoron) and the man in front of me had a cart of items.

I could feel it coming on, the cloak and not of righteousness, and my nose started to rise slightly in the air. Then I mentally counted all of his items, yes they were way over the limit! My blood pressure elevated and disdain was on my face. I can remember saying to myself that at times I really can't stand the human race--ignorance of mankind. Honestly!

Then the man turned and I looked in his eyes and once again the Spirit struck me with conviction of my lack of compassion. How does Jesus look at people? Does he only see the outside or deep into one's soul? My eyes immediately filled with tears and I asked forgiveness-once again. I read a book where a man woke up and he had the gift of seeing inside a person's heart. A person could be talking to him and smiling and he could hear their voice crying on the inside. The man couldn't take it for very long.

Throughout the New Testament Christ was "moved with compassion" towards the human race. So I took off what I call my cloak of a pharisee; when my "religion" puffs me up to think I'm better than somebody else. I'm giving it to Christ who can transform water into wine, death into life, and hopefully--no without a doubt-- me into what He intended in the first place.