Know thine enemy...

It's funny how quick people are to judge when they don't have all the facts. Then, when they do become more educated, they've already made up their mind, so they bend the facts to fit their biases.

When I was in the Navy, there was this one guy that I could not stand to be around. He was annoying, childish, and just downright maddening. While we often worked together, I avoided any more than the most necessary of contact with him. Then, one day, we had to work together on something that would take hours upon hours of constant being around each other, and even discussion and study. I came to find out that he really didn't annoy me as much as I had thought. Even though I had always thought him childish, irresponsible, and inconsiderate, he worked just as hard at making sure I understood the task as well as concentrating on his own part.

The Bible says, "Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble." I wasn't very humble towards this person. Alot of times we meet someone and don't really hit it off that great, and because we never take the time to get to know them, the relationship spirals constantly downward from there.

Sometimes, we need to think less of ourselves, and be more humble.