Romans 12 : 14-16
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep,
16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate wtih the lowly.  Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Wow, so many lessons in these 3 verses. 

14 - it's so easy to lash out at someone who hurts you, misinterprets something you say/do, or outright lies about you.  But God is telling us in all those situations to bless that person.  Easy,  huh?  Maybe when it's unintentional.  Not when it's intentional or someone thinks less of you as a result.  I've dealt with this over the past couple of days so I know God had me read this verse this morning.  When you swallow hard and bless the ones causing you strife, the strife seems to fade away.

15 - Do you celebrate your friends victories?  Do you get close enough to them that you truly know how special their rejoices are?  When you do, and you rejoice with them, the blessings are incredible.  And when a friend is weeping and it makes you uncomfortable, do you step out anyway and weep with them?

16 - I also believe God put this first square in front of me today.  Things have been going really well and I was getting a bit of a big head.  Then bam!  The situation in verse 14 happened and turned my world upside down.  God needed to knock me down a couple of notches and show me He gave me these gifts and He is guiding me.  Just because I get some decisions right and just because I may excel at something doesn't mean it's due to me. 

Lord, thank you for the lessons you continually teach me.  Especially those I have a hard time learning.  I will strive to keep my focus on you and not me.  Please let me see others how you want me to see them and to rejoice and weep with them.  Thank you for pulling me close just as a Father should.  I love you, amen.