I do not think so. I get that we were all sinners. Can’t we be real for a moment, and acknowledge some of us are worse than others.
But that gets back to the point-- you’re responsible for you, and you’re responsible for modeling yourself on Christ. Norville’s, Fred’s, and Daphne’s struggles to be good people are between them and God, whether they’re random strangers, friends, or relatives. PelagiathePenit’s struggles to be a good person are between you and God, and no one else-- not your mom, not your sister, not me-- can appreciate them. That’s not to say encourage people in their sins, or cut them off and ignore them, but it means focusing more of your critical eye inward on the one person on earth whose actions you can control. Likewise, that’s also not to say, “Well, it’s not a big deal if I commit x sin, because so-and-so does worse.” God doesn’t grade on a curve.
“My girlfriend’s a goody-two-shoes, but I still catch her telling dirty jokes and gossiping.”
“Maybe I expect too much from people who are churchy.”
“Even the kindest people aren’t good 24/7. Is it worth trying? Does God really expect us to be? When good people do good things, no one cares, but when a bad person does good things, people are really happy.”
Combined with your June thread about
your sister not liking your corrections, it’s great that you’re wanting to encourage other people along their paths, but it doesn’t look like you’ve quite developed the finesse and humility and panache that make such lessons more palatable. Sometimes quietly modeling good behavior--
prudence, temperance, fortitude– is the best example there is, so that we’re islands of peace and light when surrounded by storms and sins and darkness.
