Have You Met My Twin?

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14, ESV)

We are identical in most ways. We walk alike, have the same taste in clothing and food. Everything is exactly the same until she opens her mouth. Then, you can really tell the difference. I don’t ever invite her but when she comes uninvited, my choices are limited.

She cannot find a nice word to say about anyone or anything. Her patience and attention span are shorter than a gnat’s and she tends to be suspicious, grumpy, whiny and complains about everything. There is just no pleasing this woman!

How did she get here—again? Perhaps I am not making a big enough effort; blocking her way with praise and positive affirmations. She is the most miserable person I know and absolutely loves to throw her very own pity parties. I try not to attend those gatherings because they are not pleasant. She has some weird friends.

Over the years, I have learned that talking back to her is not productive. She is strong-willed and tends to pull me into her emotional tangles. I try to distance myself by reading or writing a devotion. She hates it when I totally ignore her and place my focus on Jesus. I shouldn’t say this, but sometimes I just have to laugh at her ego-centered rants and raves. She can be so immature!!!

When she comes for a surprise visit, I try to slip out of the house and leave her behind. She can think and say some of the most outlandish things—like there is absolutely no filter on her mouth. Her alarming responses leave people shaking their heads in confusion and saying, “Where did that come from?” One of the things I dislike the most about her is that she usually makes a mess from which I have to clean up after she leaves.

Like I said above, my choices are limited but they do exist. I certainly don’t invite her to come around but after all these years, I understand why she shows up. When I don’t praise Him or spend enough time in His Presence with a soul full of gratitude, I hear this faint knocking on the door to my heart. In my senior years, I have also become bold enough to tell her to leave. There was a time when I could not say, “Get out!”, but not anymore. I have a job to do.

What does your twin do that really bothers you? Really, we all have one.

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