Miriam, sister to Moses, had a bee in her bonnet. She got a little bent out of shape that her brother had the gall to marry someone she didn’t exactly think lived up to her family rank. (See Numbers 12 and 13.) But this critical spirit didn’t bode well because, you see, God has ears.

“But the Lord heard….”

He hears when I am critical and spiteful. And it won’t bode well for me when I am. He’s a God with many commandments that can all be summarized into one :  LOVE! Love GOD and LOVE PEOPLE.

For our friend Miriam and her critical spirit, she reaped a touch of leprosy from head to toe. This meant she had to go outside of the camp for a week (the Israelites were on the way to the Promised Land). Only a week because Moses forgave her of her unkind words about the love of his life, his wife, and prayed for Miriam to be healed. God wanted to give her a time out, so he let her experience the joys of not having a sister-in-law, indeed she had no one in her life, for one whole week.

Sometimes God gives us a time out when our attitude stinks.

Another consequence was that she kept ONE MILLION people waiting while she went outside the camp! They had to hold up their journey while she recovered. Our critical words can inconvenience lots of people and do ourselves lots of harm. So let’s pray for love!

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

My Father,

Please forgive me for being critical of others. Humble me and make me loving and accepting and forgiving as You are. Sometimes it will mean I will need to be naive about the faults of others. So be it! Make me blind to the foibles of family and friends and very much aware of my own. 

Make me like You. Make me love You. More.

Amen