Fixing People

I feel that the Lord was trying to teach me something this morning so I thought I would share it.  I had an experience the other day that bothered me so I thought I would write a blog about it.  It has to do with the way we minister to people and how we try to fix them and their problems.  I think that we have to be very careful of how we try to fix other people.  If we are not careful, we will hurt the people that we care about and are trying to help more than help them, even if our intentions are good.

Most of the time when people are transparent with us, which is not easy for most people, they are looking for compassion, love, patience and prayers; but many times what we give them is Bible verses about what they should be doing, when we have no idea what they have been doing and we can easily make them feel like they are being condemned instead of being helped.  I realize that it is much easier to tell people what they should be doing instead of asking them what they are doing, but what they need is someone to listen to them.  I have been guilty of this myself so I am not talking down to anyone; I am just trying to relate to people that there are better ways of going about this.

Read what Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” 

I realize that some people are far too sensitive at times, and that’s the way I felt that day, but we need to try to be more understanding because some people have dealt with things for years and we must realize that we are not going to fix them in a few minutes.  That is sort of like someone putting on 300 pounds and trying to lose the weight they have put on.  That person will not lose that weight overnight, it will take some time and a lot of encouragement and sacrifice and a strong commitment on the part of the person that is trying to lose the weight and also those that are trying to encourage them to lose it.  We should encourage transparency in people, but if we make them feel uncomfortable after they have been transparent, they will end up stuffing the things inside that they should be able to bring forth and get help with.  It seems like love is spoken of much easier than it is demonstrated at times and we need to be aware of that fact.

Read what true love is, in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”

Now read verse 13 of that same chapter, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

People will know that we are Christians by our love!!  This is something we all need to think about and demonstrate daily.  I really think the people in my situation really do care about me; but sometimes in our zeal to help, we can make people feel like they are being ganged up on even if our intentions are good, like I said earlier in this Tidbit.  I hope this has been an encouragement and help to all who read it like it has been to me.  People will know that we are Christians by our love!!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you all have a great day!!  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!