Several years ago, the pastors at our church experimented with putting printed copies of their sermons in the narthex each Sunday-if you were so inclined you could pick up a copy and take it home. My kids were young then so I had an easy excuse for my short attention span--I loved having the option of the printed sermon to take home and read later in the day or week--especially if it sounded like a "good" one.

This is probably the only reason I specifically remember one particular sermon, given by Eric Burtness-at least 12-14 years ago. He said that God gives us "credit" for the things we don't say, the sins we consider but don't commit--in essence, God appreciates when He sees us trying to do the right thing.

This has given me a lot of comfort because my mind is an appalling place a lot of the time. I am stunned at how unrelentingly petty I can be--out loud but even more so, in my mind. Though I have no reason to be, it seems I'm stuck on hyper-critical most of the time. Fortunately, I'm usually able to hold my tongue--well... more than half the time anyway.

I have opinions on just about everything, even if I know nothing about the subject--for example women's fashions, dairy farming, how you're raising your children, foreign policy, the kind of car you should or shouldn't buy, shoes, health care decisions, religion, etc. The list is endless.

So--I'm glad to know that God recognizes that I am trying when I just think things but don't say them because I know they'll be hurtful, unnecessary or just plain stupid. Call me shallow or call me immature, but I'm glad I'm earning that gold star. Or better yet, don't call me anything, keep it to yourself and earn a gold star for yourself too.