Relationships! Why are thy so hard? Fights, quarrels, broken lives, turmoil, personal wars, political wars, national wars, divorce, it's all around us. Let's face it, we're a dysfunctional society. Christians and non-Christians alike are constantly in the throws of relational confrontation. Church splits, denominationalism, hurt feelings all point to the same thing. In the end, it's all about us; we can't get over ourselves.
It's about our agenda, our views, our, our, our, me, me, me. We're the final authority. We're the final word. It's a scary thought really. Us, me, I, the final anything. Someone offends me, hurts me, disagrees with me and I disassociate myself from them. We don't like to be challenged, corrected or countered. So we fight, cower, hold bitterness or resentment, or spew venom.
The antidote for brokeness, division, etc. is humble servanthood. The sign of true maturity is to think of others better than yourself and seek to serve them. No calculated manipulation. No hidden resentment, "I'll do it, but I don't like it." No pretension. Genuinely caring about the people, friend or foe, around us with an attitude of grace. I cannot control or change another person. How they react is up to them. I can only control or change me and my attitude through the power of God's Holy Spirit. Jesus said to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. When you focus on the well being of others and are genuinely interested in seeing them succeed, it's hard to have a combative attitude. Let's focus on how we can encourage and build up the people around us.
No comments:
Post a Comment