The targets of the mental diatribes tend to be folks who have disagreed with my vision for church or questioned my competence as a leader. Or both.
And in my unspoken speeches, I pile statistics on top of anecdotes on top of customer reviews, all leading to a seemingly irrefutable point: I was right. I told you so.
Except it hit me this week as I was going through another of these mental exercises: why would I waste one ounce of emotional or spiritual energy composing a speech I’m never going to give when God has been so good to me?
Instead of fantasy conversations with people I haven’t spoken to in years, how about some real conversations with new friends about the marvels of a living relationship with Jesus Christ?
My level of blessing so far outweighs my level of obedience that spending any time in the world of negativity is an affront to the One who is the giver of every good gift.
It really comes down to this: why should I spend one moment defending my cause when I have a lifetime to proclaim His?