THE ANGLE OF FACTS
／Evelyn O. Shih
A couple planned to move back to their hometown for retirement, so they asked their relatives who had been staying in their house to move out. Unexpectedly, the relatives requested a large sum of money, saying that they deserved to receive a fee for managing the house for so many years.
The homeowners argued, "We let you stay in our home without charging you, and , every time you said something needed repairing, we sent you money. We don't owe you anything. Instead, you should pay us back rent for all those years."
Both sides were stating facts and both sides had good reasons for their positions. Why, then, were their requests in such opposition? The reason is that they were all self-centered. Each couple looked at the matter from their own point of view; therefore, each side thought, 'we don't owe you, but you owe me'.
This case is not at all exclusive. We often hear a husband say to his wife, "I have provided for you all these years and you never earned any money." The wife argues back, "I have kept your house and brought up the children, sacrificing all my youth to you."
Another example exists between parents and children. Parents believe they spent all their money and time to bring up the children, while the children think the parents did a bad job of raising them, and , even now, their futures are hindered because of their parents' ways.
Similarly, a daughter-in-law complains that she has no freedom at all under her mother-in-law's control, while the mother-in-law complains that she is an unpaid worker who has to do all the housework.
Surprisingly, we often find the same situation in churches. The deacons think they are overpaying the pastor, while the pastor thinks the deacons treat him as an employee without any respect. With regards to the congregation, the pastor believes that he has helped with everything, from helping families move from one house to another, to arranging their children's schooling. The church members, however, believe that without their loyal attendance and assistance, the church had no chance to expand and strengthen to its current state.
I, for one, am glad that the members of my body have no such 'small egos'; otherwise I would hear my feet say, "Why is always me who has to do the lowest job?" Likewise, the eyes complain, "I have no rest at all. From dawn until midnight, who else works harder than me?" The ears chime in, "Wait a minute! You can close your lids when you are tired. How about me? I don't have ear lids to close when I don't want to listen any longer." The head interrupts, saying, "Stop! Without me, all of you would lose your functioning. What can you say to that?"
Praise the Lord! Each member in our bodies forgets its little self in order to fulfill the big self. Therefore, if we remember that each of us is only a small member in the body of Christ, we will be able to love on another, and perhaps even feel that we don't love others enough.
