Friday, July 21, 2017

Loving People Versus Fixing People



Have you ever heard a believer say this or something close to this statement?  I hate myself and I hate my life and I don’t need phony people around who just want to preach to me, pretending to be my friend.  Well maybe you need to hear this or maybe you just need to be reminded of this statement that I have heard, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” and that is the truth.  It seems like we get into this ‘fix it’ mode every time we hear that someone has a problem, but we have very little to do with them any other time.  Now let me give you an eye opener, we can fix no one!! But one thing we can do is love them and then when people know that we really care then we can pour encouragement into their lives and guide them with the Lord’s help into the truth that can set them free.

Think of this, there is a guy I know but not very well, I met him once.  After that I tried to talk to him on different occasions but he would just seem to ignore me so one day I said to him why don’t you like me and his response was, “I love you,” which sort of blew my mind.  Then I asked him and his friend to my house for dinner and everything was set but they never showed.  Then the next week I talked to his friend because the other man didn’t come around me much after that and his friend said he would call and let me know if they were coming or not and they never came or called.  My wife has the gift of hospitality whether she knows it or not and sometimes she stays up very late preparing for the meal the next day trying to get things just right, but it seems like people have their own agenda and that is what is important to them.  I am not saying that loving people is easy, but it is an action word and it needs to be displayed not just tossed around.  I try very hard not to tell anyone that I love them unless I am quite sure that I do and that I am willing to display it before them.

We come into the church hearing that we need to love people, so right away we start throwing that word around like it were true because it sounds good.  When I got committed to the Lord years ago I came out of a life situation where I hated most everything, even myself, because it seemed like I lost everything I got close to and I take the blame for what has happened in my life.  When I came into the church I prayed sincerely for people but when I saw them I couldn’t stand them and I knew that something was truly wrong.  When I married my wife I didn’t love her and when the kids started to emerge I had a hard time going to them, they had to come to me; I guess I was afraid that I would lose them also.  

I have had a struggle with God loving me also; how could the Creator of the universe love me?  So I can understand why people have a struggle loving people and expecting love from others and the worst thing we can do is start preaching at them like we have walked in their shoes telling them what they should be doing and what they shouldn’t be doing when we have no idea what they are doing, like we think we can fix them.  Maybe, instead of preaching we should start praying and loving and encouraging people.  Enough said I hope this has been a help to someone.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!! 

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