Radio psychiatrist Frazier Crane (from the TV show Frasier) has had a long, rough day. Finally, when a man steals his waited-for seat at the local coffee shop, Frasier has had enough. Grabbing the man by the collar, he runs him out of the shop, shouting, “What you need is an etiquette lesson!”

Later Frasier chastises himself for allowing his more animal nature to momentarily rule. He prefers, he says, to settle his disagreements like an adult, with words and reason. But the newspaper hails him as a sort of folk hero. And to his dismay, people begin to follow his example, giving little etiquette lessons of their own. A caller, who used a leaf blower a seven AM, brags about smashing the leaf blower into a tree. Another shoves a pound of rotten shrimp into a rival’s air conditioner.

After dozens of callers describe their vigilante exploits, Frasier exclaims that they’ve gone too far. “I displayed a minor bit of force to just make a point. I didn’t go around smashing windows or torching lawns! Where does this end?” His caller replies, “Are you saying that what I did was wrong?” “Of course I am!” shouts Frasier. And the caller responds, “But what you did was ok?” This stops Frasier in his tracks. And then – and this is one of the reasons I really love this show – Frasier realizes what the right thing to do is, and does it. “Come to think of it, what I did was just wrong. I mean, who am I to draw the line at the acceptable level of force?”

Frasier realizes in that moment what God has provided for all along: righteousness must be complete to be worth anything at all. Any sin, whether more or less socially acceptable, is evidence of a root problem. Anger and murder come from the same place. It is only God who can draw the line, and it is only God who can toe it.

Today, remember that you’re worse than you think you are. But remember also, that God’s gift of righteousness to you is greater than you could ever imagine.

UP NEXT: In his Dr. Henry Cloud’s book 2023 book Trust In Life & Business: Knowing When to Give It, When to Withhold It, How to Earn It, and How to Fix It When It Gets Broken, identifies the five essentials of trust: Understanding, Motive, Ability, Character, and Track Record. In Chapter Five, while exploring the second essential, Motive, he relays this experience with a client corporation excelling in their UNITY OF PURPOSE…