Be The Change
"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works." Hebrews 10:24
My heart has been broken by all the stories of hate and bullying I hear both in the news and in my own community and on a more personal level, directed at my children. None of this is new. Cruelty has been around since sin entered the world in the garden of Eden. It comes in many forms. It comes in the obvious forms we hear about on the news and see in inflammatory comments on social media but it also comes in more subtle forms, of which we are all guilty of at some point in time. Think about the last time you spoke badly about someone to another person? That just plants seeds of no good in other peoples mind regarding the person you were speaking about. When was the last time you posted a rant on social media about how someone treated you badly or did you wrong? Remember two wrongs don't make a right. When was the last time you got an attitude with a customer service rep who wasn't giving you the service you felt you deserved? Remember they are people too and tone of speech really makes a difference! When was the last time you had a little bit of road rage as someone was driving 20 miles under the speed limit? Maybe you honked the horn or said some choice words or rode their bumper? Remember how it feels when someone gets irritated with you in traffic. And I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of all of these subtle ways of being mean. I sadly can think of instances of some of the above from just this week.
We talk about "being the change we want to see in the world" but are we really taking that to heart? Putting it into practice in every day life, in the small areas that might get noticed? It is these small areas that affect our hearts. And as God's word says in Mark 7:20 "And then he added, 'It is what comes from inside that defiles you."
We are God's hands and feet here on earth. We are what the world gets to visibly see of Jesus love and forgiveness. As the verse at the beginning says, we are called to find ways to inspire others and spur them on to goodness. And if our hearts have been clouded by subtly mean acts and thoughts we will have a hard time forgiving others and living out God's love to everyone we come into contact with, even those who are very outwardly cruel.
I have heard that hurting people hurt people and this is so true! This world is full of people who are hurting and act out of a place of hurt and pain. In fact you may be hurting and act out of that same place of pain. The pain isn't going to stop unless we take the steps in our own lives to change those patterns. We have to choose to act out of a place of forgiveness and love and when we don't feel we can, we should choose just to remain quiet! Be quick to let it go. Be quick to forgive. Be slow to get angry. Be slow to take offense at what someone says. Let's raise up a generation of people who learn to love and forgive. Who learn how to speak kindly and respectfully and put others before themselves. And the way to raise up that generation, is through our daily actions. One small step, one small act at a time.
"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:10
"Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted and keep a humble attitude." 1 Peter 3:8
"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." 1 John 3:18
"Most important of all, continue to show deep love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8
My heart has been broken by all the stories of hate and bullying I hear both in the news and in my own community and on a more personal level, directed at my children. None of this is new. Cruelty has been around since sin entered the world in the garden of Eden. It comes in many forms. It comes in the obvious forms we hear about on the news and see in inflammatory comments on social media but it also comes in more subtle forms, of which we are all guilty of at some point in time. Think about the last time you spoke badly about someone to another person? That just plants seeds of no good in other peoples mind regarding the person you were speaking about. When was the last time you posted a rant on social media about how someone treated you badly or did you wrong? Remember two wrongs don't make a right. When was the last time you got an attitude with a customer service rep who wasn't giving you the service you felt you deserved? Remember they are people too and tone of speech really makes a difference! When was the last time you had a little bit of road rage as someone was driving 20 miles under the speed limit? Maybe you honked the horn or said some choice words or rode their bumper? Remember how it feels when someone gets irritated with you in traffic. And I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of all of these subtle ways of being mean. I sadly can think of instances of some of the above from just this week.
We talk about "being the change we want to see in the world" but are we really taking that to heart? Putting it into practice in every day life, in the small areas that might get noticed? It is these small areas that affect our hearts. And as God's word says in Mark 7:20 "And then he added, 'It is what comes from inside that defiles you."
We are God's hands and feet here on earth. We are what the world gets to visibly see of Jesus love and forgiveness. As the verse at the beginning says, we are called to find ways to inspire others and spur them on to goodness. And if our hearts have been clouded by subtly mean acts and thoughts we will have a hard time forgiving others and living out God's love to everyone we come into contact with, even those who are very outwardly cruel.
I have heard that hurting people hurt people and this is so true! This world is full of people who are hurting and act out of a place of hurt and pain. In fact you may be hurting and act out of that same place of pain. The pain isn't going to stop unless we take the steps in our own lives to change those patterns. We have to choose to act out of a place of forgiveness and love and when we don't feel we can, we should choose just to remain quiet! Be quick to let it go. Be quick to forgive. Be slow to get angry. Be slow to take offense at what someone says. Let's raise up a generation of people who learn to love and forgive. Who learn how to speak kindly and respectfully and put others before themselves. And the way to raise up that generation, is through our daily actions. One small step, one small act at a time.
"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:10
"Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted and keep a humble attitude." 1 Peter 3:8
"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." 1 John 3:18
"Most important of all, continue to show deep love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8
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