"I've never been in jail with such a self-righteous person!"
That is a powerful statement. It cuts directly to the heart. John and Mike (names changed to protect the guilty) were talking at lunch time and a very filthy joke was blurted out. I took offense and said how disgusting and inappropriate that joke was and I said it in a condescending and condemnatory tone of voice. John's perception was that I thought that I was better than he. Soon thereafter I heard him make a comment "I have never been in jail with such a self-righteous person."
Man that hurt... because it was true! In my head, I know I'm not better than anyone else. But out of the heart the mouth speaks. The reason I came across to John as self-righteous was because in my heart I actually did think I was better. "I would never say something like that" is what I said in my heart. I thought for a few minutes about what to say to him and it dawned on me that to combat self-righteousness you have to go to the other extreme . . . humility. I said to John, "John, I'm sorry for coming across as self-righteous. I really don't want to be that way. I'm one of the worse sinners in here, and I want you to know I don't judge you for anything you say or do. My faith is real to me and I try to live God's Word as well as I can and that's why I avoid joining in or listening to the jokes or swear words, but I don't condemn you for anything. I just want to be clear and honest about this."
He immediately listened as soon as he heard me say," I'm sorry, and I had a captive, attentive audience for a few minutes. The Lord taught me how important humility is when confronting, not just an unbeliever, but anyone about sin in one's life. It's an important lesson we all need to learn and practice.
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