The Golden Rule is for Grown-Ups Too!
Most of the time, it seems to me, disagreements happen because of simple misunderstandings. Other times though, "it goes much deeper than that". (to quote a very misguided individual)
Those are the words used to explain a person's wrong actions and attempt to make it sound spiritual at the same time.
Well, that's not a new trick. Satan quoted scripture to Jesus after he had fasted for forty days and nights. I didn't just miss that. Did you?
Jesus had been fasting. What happens to your body during a fast? I've personally never fasted for forty days but I'm pretty sure my flesh would be pretty weak.
So, here comes the enemy, trying to sound "all spiritual", while simultaneously attacking while you are in a weakened condition.
Wouldn't a person be able to be used of God in a much deeper way if they only used discernment, and maybe a little common sense?
Let's say, for example, you have prayed to be used of God. You have a made up mind to serve God.
Your prayers may go something like this...
Lord, send me where You choose. I want to do what is acceptable in Your eyes. Send me to the lost. (lost--that's a big word!) let me be Your hands and feet. Help me to love the unlovable. Send me to minister to the broken-hearted Lord.
Basically we are asking God to send us those who are in a weakened condition!!!
Then, when He answers that prayer, what do we do?
Well, hopefully we obey God with the people He sends our way.
Hopefully we keep in mind that these "lost" people are hurting. Perhaps they have just came through the biggest battle of their life. Maybe they are battle-weary. We should stop and try to imagine ourselves in that weakened condition and how we would like to be treated.
Do we really love the people God entrusts us with? Or is it maybe not glamorous enough? Sometimes life can get dirty, ugly, and unacceptable. Does that mean the people God sends us are dirty, ugly, and unacceptable? Maybe. But not to Him.
I know in my heart that I have walked through these last three years of my life for God's purpose. On the other side of this stretch of awful, God has taught me some awesome truths. How can I love hurting people if I haven't experienced hurt? How can I extend grace if I haven't experienced God's grace in my own broken life?
I can truly and freely say that I have experienced both sides of this. I have sat up high and lofty in my self created perfect little world. I am a rule follower by nature and I set out to do things the 'right' way. I saw children (much older than my toddlers) go astray. I saw marriages falling apart. I saw dirty, ugly, and unacceptable...to a certain degree. I didn't realize I was looking through a one way mirror.
In this very self righteous state of mind we just can't understand why other people can't just get it right.
Scary that my life was lived in such one dimension.
I've experienced dirty, ugly and unacceptable in the last few years. My eyes were opened to ugliness that I don't care to share. I witnessed dirty in my own life and family that I hope to never revisit. Unacceptable are a few things that I had to learn to accept. Unacceptable is also the way I got to feel.
The lack of compassion, understanding, and friendship I experienced in the last few years was more than compensated for in the amount of wisdom I gained from experience.
I can't help but think I more than likely encountered many who had prayed to be used by God. I also can't help but think I have also shown a lack of compassion, understanding, and friendship to hurting people even as I have prayed to be used of God.
I thank God now, on this side of the battle. There is nothing better to give you a good perspective on how to truly be used of God in the life of a hurting person than the humbling power of pain in your own life. The very things that feel as if they will take you down for the count are the things God will use to teach you to look at others with His perspective.
So, yet again, I will cry out to God...
Lord, send me where You choose. I want to do what is acceptable in Your eyes. Send me to the lost. (lost--that's a big word!) let me be Your hands and feet. Help me to love the unlovable. Send me to minister to the broken-hearted Lord.
Hopefully I will obey God with the people He sends my way.
Hopefully I will keep in mind that these "lost" people are hurting. Perhaps they have just came through the biggest battle of their life. Maybe they are battle-weary. I will stop and try to imagine myself, not so long ago, in that weakened condition and how I would have liked to have been treated.
Those are the words used to explain a person's wrong actions and attempt to make it sound spiritual at the same time.
Well, that's not a new trick. Satan quoted scripture to Jesus after he had fasted for forty days and nights. I didn't just miss that. Did you?
Jesus had been fasting. What happens to your body during a fast? I've personally never fasted for forty days but I'm pretty sure my flesh would be pretty weak.
So, here comes the enemy, trying to sound "all spiritual", while simultaneously attacking while you are in a weakened condition.
Wouldn't a person be able to be used of God in a much deeper way if they only used discernment, and maybe a little common sense?
Let's say, for example, you have prayed to be used of God. You have a made up mind to serve God.
Your prayers may go something like this...
Lord, send me where You choose. I want to do what is acceptable in Your eyes. Send me to the lost. (lost--that's a big word!) let me be Your hands and feet. Help me to love the unlovable. Send me to minister to the broken-hearted Lord.
Basically we are asking God to send us those who are in a weakened condition!!!
Then, when He answers that prayer, what do we do?
Well, hopefully we obey God with the people He sends our way.
Hopefully we keep in mind that these "lost" people are hurting. Perhaps they have just came through the biggest battle of their life. Maybe they are battle-weary. We should stop and try to imagine ourselves in that weakened condition and how we would like to be treated.
Do we really love the people God entrusts us with? Or is it maybe not glamorous enough? Sometimes life can get dirty, ugly, and unacceptable. Does that mean the people God sends us are dirty, ugly, and unacceptable? Maybe. But not to Him.
I know in my heart that I have walked through these last three years of my life for God's purpose. On the other side of this stretch of awful, God has taught me some awesome truths. How can I love hurting people if I haven't experienced hurt? How can I extend grace if I haven't experienced God's grace in my own broken life?
I can truly and freely say that I have experienced both sides of this. I have sat up high and lofty in my self created perfect little world. I am a rule follower by nature and I set out to do things the 'right' way. I saw children (much older than my toddlers) go astray. I saw marriages falling apart. I saw dirty, ugly, and unacceptable...to a certain degree. I didn't realize I was looking through a one way mirror.
In this very self righteous state of mind we just can't understand why other people can't just get it right.
Scary that my life was lived in such one dimension.
I've experienced dirty, ugly and unacceptable in the last few years. My eyes were opened to ugliness that I don't care to share. I witnessed dirty in my own life and family that I hope to never revisit. Unacceptable are a few things that I had to learn to accept. Unacceptable is also the way I got to feel.
The lack of compassion, understanding, and friendship I experienced in the last few years was more than compensated for in the amount of wisdom I gained from experience.
I can't help but think I more than likely encountered many who had prayed to be used by God. I also can't help but think I have also shown a lack of compassion, understanding, and friendship to hurting people even as I have prayed to be used of God.
I thank God now, on this side of the battle. There is nothing better to give you a good perspective on how to truly be used of God in the life of a hurting person than the humbling power of pain in your own life. The very things that feel as if they will take you down for the count are the things God will use to teach you to look at others with His perspective.
So, yet again, I will cry out to God...
Lord, send me where You choose. I want to do what is acceptable in Your eyes. Send me to the lost. (lost--that's a big word!) let me be Your hands and feet. Help me to love the unlovable. Send me to minister to the broken-hearted Lord.
Hopefully I will obey God with the people He sends my way.
Hopefully I will keep in mind that these "lost" people are hurting. Perhaps they have just came through the biggest battle of their life. Maybe they are battle-weary. I will stop and try to imagine myself, not so long ago, in that weakened condition and how I would have liked to have been treated.
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