I have something heavy weighing on my heart as I type this evening, so bare with me as I go a little deeper than I usually would.
Lately I have been overwhelmed with the cruelty surrounding me in every way imaginable and unfortunately it's been "Christians" more than nonbelievers supplying said cruelty; putting it out there that unless you're perfect you're leaving yourself open to judgement of any and every sort. I have seen women talking badly about other women because of their clothing choices, people walk right past homeless people without blinking an eye, and I have seen individuals be outcast because they have too many tattoos or their hair is a different color. This needs to stop. God calls us to be better.
John 15:12 says "My command is this; Love one another as I have loved you."
Do you notice God doesn't say love one another as long as you agree with one another, love one another as long as one of you isn't sinning, or love one another as long as it's easy for you? He simply commands us to love. And love isn't shown via worldly abuse, it's shown through uplifting acts of kindness without any motive behind them other than to please our Father.
I speak from experience. I had a few years (from approx. age 17-20) where I was beyond out of control. Partying too hard, drinking too much, lying about everything under the sun, and saying or doing just about anything I had to in order to escape my responsibilities. If you would have asked my family back then they would have told you they couldn't trust me and that they were terrified of the path I was headed down. Thankfully for me, this was a stage, but not because of me; because of God. He knew my heart. He saw me and knew that wasn't who I was meant to be. I was worthy in His eyes and to Him, I was already enough. So He continued to send me people who saw the best in me and pointed me in the right direction. Without those people I may not be in such a beautiful stage of life right now. I'm so incredibly thankful to say that as I sit here today I couldn't be any further from that lost girl I was 9 years ago, which I believe is partly because I never really was that girl. I was me, just in an awful state of mind and being, and I think that's the case with a lot of young men and women in the world. They're not bad people; they're lost people. And let me tell you something friends...They won't be found through judgmental glances and hateful words. They'll be found through moments of grace. You don't reach the broken sitting high on your mountain of righteousness; you reach them by crawling into the trenches with a metaphorical first aid kit of the spiritual sorts. If you're reading this tonight and you've been cheating, stealing, lying, drinking, sleeping around, doing drugs, etc., etc., etc., may I share an important truth with you?
You are worthy. You are cherished. You are enough.
God sees you, He knows your heart, & He is coming for you in the best way imaginable. Anyone who tells you differently doesn't serve the God you want to know. I'm not saying these things aren't sins, because they are; I'm simply saying that we all sin and no one is coming out on top by constantly being put down. God uses flawed people to share hope and encouragement with a flawed and broken world. There are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who have done things far worse than what we judge one another for, yet God used them in a powerful way. Rahab was a prostitute, Noah was a drunk, and David was a murderer, yet they became heroes through the power of God. You are never too far gone for God, and we as Christians should know that better than anyone. This week I'd like to encourage you to smile brightly at the girl dressed inappropriately at the grocery store, to drop an extra dollar into the hat the homeless person in the parking lot is holding, and to bite your tongue the next time you want to comment about how someone else is living their life. We're not perfect, but we've been shown grace, and now it's our turn to put that same grace out in the open so that others can see where it came from!
Shine bright. Love one another.
Lately I have been overwhelmed with the cruelty surrounding me in every way imaginable and unfortunately it's been "Christians" more than nonbelievers supplying said cruelty; putting it out there that unless you're perfect you're leaving yourself open to judgement of any and every sort. I have seen women talking badly about other women because of their clothing choices, people walk right past homeless people without blinking an eye, and I have seen individuals be outcast because they have too many tattoos or their hair is a different color. This needs to stop. God calls us to be better.
John 15:12 says "My command is this; Love one another as I have loved you."
Do you notice God doesn't say love one another as long as you agree with one another, love one another as long as one of you isn't sinning, or love one another as long as it's easy for you? He simply commands us to love. And love isn't shown via worldly abuse, it's shown through uplifting acts of kindness without any motive behind them other than to please our Father.
I speak from experience. I had a few years (from approx. age 17-20) where I was beyond out of control. Partying too hard, drinking too much, lying about everything under the sun, and saying or doing just about anything I had to in order to escape my responsibilities. If you would have asked my family back then they would have told you they couldn't trust me and that they were terrified of the path I was headed down. Thankfully for me, this was a stage, but not because of me; because of God. He knew my heart. He saw me and knew that wasn't who I was meant to be. I was worthy in His eyes and to Him, I was already enough. So He continued to send me people who saw the best in me and pointed me in the right direction. Without those people I may not be in such a beautiful stage of life right now. I'm so incredibly thankful to say that as I sit here today I couldn't be any further from that lost girl I was 9 years ago, which I believe is partly because I never really was that girl. I was me, just in an awful state of mind and being, and I think that's the case with a lot of young men and women in the world. They're not bad people; they're lost people. And let me tell you something friends...They won't be found through judgmental glances and hateful words. They'll be found through moments of grace. You don't reach the broken sitting high on your mountain of righteousness; you reach them by crawling into the trenches with a metaphorical first aid kit of the spiritual sorts. If you're reading this tonight and you've been cheating, stealing, lying, drinking, sleeping around, doing drugs, etc., etc., etc., may I share an important truth with you?
You are worthy. You are cherished. You are enough.
God sees you, He knows your heart, & He is coming for you in the best way imaginable. Anyone who tells you differently doesn't serve the God you want to know. I'm not saying these things aren't sins, because they are; I'm simply saying that we all sin and no one is coming out on top by constantly being put down. God uses flawed people to share hope and encouragement with a flawed and broken world. There are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who have done things far worse than what we judge one another for, yet God used them in a powerful way. Rahab was a prostitute, Noah was a drunk, and David was a murderer, yet they became heroes through the power of God. You are never too far gone for God, and we as Christians should know that better than anyone. This week I'd like to encourage you to smile brightly at the girl dressed inappropriately at the grocery store, to drop an extra dollar into the hat the homeless person in the parking lot is holding, and to bite your tongue the next time you want to comment about how someone else is living their life. We're not perfect, but we've been shown grace, and now it's our turn to put that same grace out in the open so that others can see where it came from!
Shine bright. Love one another.