I recently learned of the death of an elderly woman I disliked. Actually, I more than disliked her because she was mean, a misery to herself and others, and had no interest in changing. She put herself on a pretty high pedestal, and lived from a place of knowing that her perspective and opinions were the right ones. She did not appreciate her friends, did not return the love of those around her, sat in judgement of everyone she met, and acted more pious than the pope. My sister has a phrase for people like this who live with their nose in the air, their head in the clouds, and their hind-end in God’s judgement seat: too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.
To my dismay, I met this woman at church. I say “dismay” because I was a pastor’s wife for 25 years, and meeting this woman at church meant that I was not only stuck with her, but I was expected to be nice.