A friend has hurt you and you’re struggling with bitterness. You’re finding it hard to forgive much less be nice to her.
A relationship has ended and you’re finding it hard to move on. You gave so much of yourself and you feel betrayed and deeply wounded.
A coworker is unbearable to work with. It’s like they go out of their way to criticize or undermine you at every turn. They spread lies about you, but always play the victim.
A family member has proved difficult to be around and is hard to like. They give back-handed compliments and are out right rude at times.
“People are crazy.” It’s from a song and it’s true.
We are! I say we but really, you know who I mean…them. The people who drive us crazy. Maybe it’s a friend, boyfriend, husband, coworker, family member, or a boss, it doesn’t matter. We will all face relational battles with the people in our lives.
Why?
Because PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!
Okay, let me start again.
Because people are imperfect. And that does include you and me, too, no matter how much we like to think it’s just them.
These relational battles can make us feel like it’s us against them. Like a game of tug-of-war as we go back and forth trying to stand our ground. But, what if we just decided not to play? What if we just let go of the rope? This sounds great in theory, but proves harder to do.
Unless.
Unless we look at it in a different perspective.
What if the battles we face with others are really deeper battles that we face in our hearts? Battles that can be fought and won in our own hearts.
What if the battles we face with others showcase the battles we face in our hearts and expose where we are in our relationship with Jesus? Laying raw the areas where we are in greater need for Him.
What if…
When we find it difficult to forgive others when they hurt us, we see our great need for Jesus. Will we obey His word and forgive those who have wronged us just like Jesus has forgiven us? Will we show the love of Christ to someone who does not love us, just like Christ first loved us in our sins?
What if…
When we find it hard to move on from our hurt, we see our great need for Jesus. Will we lay our heartache at the cross, expecting God to heal it? Will we trust that God works all things for good for those that love Him? Will we look to him to be all-sufficient in our life?
What if…
When we find it difficult to do our job in the face of a quarrelsome coworker, we see our great need for Jesus. Will we be light to the dark for the one who has redeemed us? Will we continue to do what is right in the face of opposition? Will we do our jobs as if it is done unto the Lord? Will we trust God with our reputations and believe in His favor?
What if…
When we find it tough to show love to others, we see our great need for Jesus. Will we be His hands and feet to the unlovable? Will we shine the love of Jesus with our words and actions in the face of an offensive person?
What if our battles with others really showcase our hearts and the work that still needs to be done there? Do we recognize the deficit in our hearts and realize we need more of Jesus in our life?
I think we will find that we are in great need of Jesus. We need a lot of Him. Let me be the first to say, ME!!! Recognizing who those battles are really between will help us remember that it’s our hearts that are the battlefield, but Jesus arms us with His love and grace! Let’s let these battles point us to Him as we recognize our great deficit and need for more of Jesus in our hearts.
If you’ve picked up the other end of the rope today or someone has dropped it in your hand, recognize that you don’t have to play the game of tug-of-war. You can act in accordance to who you are in Christ as opposed to acting in accordance to who it is that is pulling on the other end of that rope. This can only be done if we are filling up daily in the One who purposes our hearts and fills it to overflowing with his love and kindness. Let’s drink up, friends.