In reading the story of the Pentecost, that day on which the Apostles were visited by the Holy Spirit and given the power of signs and wonders and speaking to all nations, I was struck by something: the "Others." The Bible relates how there was a loud sound from heaven and the people gathered around, marveling at the ability of some mere Galileans to be able to communicate to each of them in their own languages. Thousands were amazed and convicted by the explanation given by Peter, whereby he explained Old Testament prophesies being fulfilled in their presence. But, the Bible is quick to say, there were others who thought the apostles were victims of "new wine." From this event we can see that even when the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in a most powerful and visible way, at which point thousands are convicted and believe, there will still be "others" who scoff.

If there were scoffers on such a day, there will be scoffers in every day. If there were scoffers at such a miraculous and powerful display, there will certainly be scoffers at lesser things. These "others" are everywhere, at all times throughout history. They have been there at every sermon ever preached by those same apostles, they have been there at the proclamation of every new discovery, every new invention, every new idea, every new attempt by someone to achieve something of significance. And yes, they have been there at every step of our own little lives, as well.

These "others" feel obligated to tell us what won't work, what we should have done differently, how the quarterback should have played, how the manager should have managed, how the preacher should have preached, how the painter should have painted, how the writer should have written, how the businessman should have conducted himself, and even how the parent should have parented. These "others" are the court jesters of our lives, with no qualifications of their own, save for an acid tongue and a negative perspective. It doesn't matter what you do, for what reasons, or how well you do it, there will ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS be someone who stands in opposition, judgment, criticism, and opposition.

We should not be surprised at this. Nor should we despair. Rather, we should be thankful the "others" are so reliably there. After all, it's the overcoming of obstacles that makes us better and forces us to continually examine our motives, improve our performance, and perfect our crafts. These "others" can thus be seen to be like the weights in a gym. Who would show up at a workout facility and lament the presence of barbells and weights? It is the resistance they provide which builds the muscle – as long as the possessor of the muscles is willing to work against that resistance. Therein lies the key. As long as we are willing to strive against the "others" we will be made better by their sorry position in life. From such an understanding we can see that rather than resent them we should be thankful for them, and perhaps harbor a little pity on their behalf. After all, they are the ones who seem relegated to the peanut gallery, while we are blessed enough to be out on the field of life.