Just thinking...

"whatsoever things are just"

Was I just thinking or was I thinking just (ly) ???

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines just this way:
"Conformed to truth; exact; proper; accurate; as just thoughts; just expressions; just images or representations; a just description; a just inference."

Accurate thoughts, thoughts that are not exaggerated one way or the other... is that the way I think? Well, if the truth be told, my thoughts can easily be influenced toward injustice.

Proverbs 18:13 tells us, "He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and a shame to him."

Unfortunately I can tell you from experience that this is true. I am not always careful to investigate things before I form an opinion. This careless habit has caused me much shame and regret. The beauty of this learning opportunity is that it can teach me to be more just in the future if I am willing to be taught by the experience.

How can I be more just in my thought life?
~Extend grace - give others the benefit of the doubt (The Lord knows we all need grace!)
~Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative - think in positive terms first as a regular habit
~Consider the facts objectively - step back and look at the situation with an open mind
~Seek God's insight - ask God for wisdom to see things His way
~Recognize my own sinfulness - I am not perfect and will fail, miserably at times, putting me "in their shoes" quite literally
~Be humble- admit I'm not God, I don't know all the facts much less the heart of the person or people involved, only God knows that
~Pray - be a part of the solution and take the person or situation to the throne of grace- Prayer is the key that unlocks all the other actions above.

Just thinking is
Unbiased,
Shaped by grace, and
Truthful