"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit
of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." (Gal. 6:1)
At their school carnival, our kids won four free goldfish (lucky us!), so out I went Saturday
morning to find an aquarium. The first few I priced ranged from $40 to $70. Then I spotted it
right in the aisle: a discarded 10-gallon display tank, complete with gravel and filter for a mere
five bucks. Sold! Of course, it was nasty dirty, but the savings made the two hours of clean-up a
breeze.
Those four new fish looked great in their new home, at least for the first day. But by Sunday one
had died. Too bad, but three remained. Monday morning revealed a second casualty, and by
Monday night a third goldfish had gone belly up. We called in an expert member of our church
who has a 30-gallon tank. It didn't take him long to discover the problem: I had washed the tank
with soap, an absolute no-no. My uninformed efforts had destroyed the very lives I was trying to
protect. (From Richard L. Dunagin)
Unfortunately, in our efforts to clean up the lives of others we sometimes use "killer soaps" -- condemnation, criticism, and nagging. Let us strive to maintain humility and gentleness in our efforts to restore others.