Relationships & Peacemaking

Couldn’t we just give them a BREAK?!

The next time someone fails to meet our expectations and desires …
Isn’t quite as friendly and warm as we’d like …
Doesn’t say the right thing or do the right thing or even look the right way to us …

I wonder: Couldn’t we just give them a BREAK?!

You know–cut them some slack.
Give them the benefit of the doubt.

(I.e., maybe she’s not a JERK. Maybe she’s scared. Tired. Maybe she just received another horribly harsh call from her mother-in-law. Maybe she’s TRYING to relate well, but she can’t quite keep up with the conversation and then she feels stupid and thinks the better thing to do is just to stay quiet … but then we’re tempted to think she is proud and haughty and “stuck-up.”

Maybe your pastor isn’t intentionally hurting you–maybe he’s just astoundingly busy serving 500 people and the family that lost a baby, the marriage that is about to split, the dad who is addicted to online pornography, the lawsuit that is about to start between two members, and the woman who just attempted suicide … are all taking a lot of his time this week. Maybe he DOES care about you and he DOES want to shepherd you well–but he is human and limited in what he can do with 24 hours in a day.)

Maybe we can just give them a little kindness. A little mercy.
Not expect perfection from them.
Overlook (unilaterally forgive) the things that disappoint us.

Give them grace. Just like we receive grace every single day.

I’ve been convicted this week of just how often I am selfish in how I relate with people.
I expect things to be a certain way–and I am tempted to withhold my love from them when they let me down.

 

But God is calling me to repent!
To treat people NOT as they deserve–but as God treats me.

Uncomfortable? Yup.
Pleasant? Nope.
Crazy, even? That’s what the world would say.

Christianly? Ahhhhh … now we’re getting down to it.
Is it Christ-like to do good even to those who hate us? More or less people who just annoy us and fail to meet our expectations?

Yes yes yes.

Please help us, Lord!
For your glory. For our good.
And for the proclamation of the gospel.
Amen & Amen