Be careful about burning your bridges

The journey of life is very interesting and sometimes strange, but you must travel on. You will meet some very interesting people during the journey; you must meet some strange people also.
We must understand that the years teach much that you can only learn from living — wisdom born of experience.
Now, some people do not learn a thing from living. One of the most important ingredients in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. Herein lies the great tragedy of mankind. We submit that there are people who are "mad" with others for very insignificant causes. Madness will turn into hate and when we hate people our lives are in troubled waters. When under the influence of hate, we do some foolish things. It is downright stupid when you hate someone to the extent that you will not speak to them or, if they speak to you, you do not have the courtesy to return the greetings.
Maybe we miss something in Bible study or maybe we have not heard the good news. Let us jolt your memory a little bit. There is some advice given in James 4:14 we should take very seriously: "For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." It is so easy to major in minor things in life. It is just pure disgusting to see folks who have been promoted to a high position and then they start looking down the tube at those around them. We must remember that we should be kind to all people. Today, we may be up and tomorrow we may be down. Cutting people down with your tongue is a very dangerous act. It really hurts when you have mistreated an individual and then, within the very near future, you must return and discuss matters with that person.
We should at all times be careful in our relationships with each other and at all times try and keep respect and compassion for all. It is a greater tragedy when we degrade people and try to make them feel inferior. People who do this have no respect for humanity. We should all be careful about the way we treat others at all times. We may be up today, but we can fall tomorrow.
Some people that you walk over may be in the position sometimes to help you on your way down. Life has been known to take a complete turnaround. When you are mean, evil, dogmatic, demanding, inconsiderate and nasty with other people, brace yourself. You must come back one day and cross over that bridge that you once traveled.
Much of the room at the top is created by the persons who go to sleep there and fall off. Great will be the fall. Do not ever expect to enjoy life if you keep your milk of human kindness all bottled up.
The really great people know how to deal with folks at all levels. The greater the person, the greater the courtesy. Life, like a mirror, never gives back more than we put into it.
It will pay us to read Proverbs 6: 16-19. "For it is written that there are seven things that are hateful to God. These things doth the Lord hate; yes, seven are an abomination until him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
Life has a keen way of turning you around to retravel some of the pathways from whence you came. It is there that you meet these folks that you once turned your back on or tried to belittle. It is at this point when you must face up to your misbehavior. In short, you will reap what you sow.
Let us hang on to those things that will have real meaning in our lives. Your bad deeds and relationships with others are like an ugly dog that looks worse coming than going. Life is just like a camel — it will not back up. It must be remembered that we cannot control the length of our lives, but we can control its breadth, depth and height.
We must know what life is all about. Someone said that life is like a game, but how can we play it if we do not know where the goal posts are? It is true sometimes that we think that life has become a struggle to keep our weight down and our spirits up. It must be stamped upon our minds that the great purpose of life is to make something that will outlast us.
We do not have the time to run people down or push them over to the side of the road. We must live so that others can see the teaching of Jesus coming through us on a daily schedule. We would do well to display our faith from time to time (living without faith is like driving in a fog). Wonderful things happen to us when we live expectantly, believe confidently and pray affirmatively. Let our lives be the pill to help others improve theirs.
And above all, learn to be quiet sometimes. In the quiet hour you can hear the voice of the Almighty.

The Rev. W.F. McIntosh is The News Herald's senior columnist.