Matthew 18:6-7
“But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—and it’s doomsday to you if you do.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When I was about two years old, I wandered into my grandmother’s bathroom one day, opened a bottle of rubbing alcohol she had left sitting on the back of her toilet…and apparently, I took a drink. I can still see the doctor and nurses in the ER, wrapping me tightly in a bed sheet, so that they could insert a tube into my nose and down my throat to pump out my stomach. To this day, I do not like anything tight – clothing, small spaces, or even the thought of being confined.
My grandmother did not do this to hurt me. I’m sure it never even occurred to her that I would notice that container – or be intrigued by it…certainly not enough to take a swig! But at the same time, as a toddler, I trusted her to keep me safe. Let’s face it…children get into enough on their own without us making it easy for them!
Now think about your life as a Christian. Where have YOU left something potentially damaging “out on the counter” for others? Have you inadvertently tempted someone with a “do as I say…not as I do” attitude or action? Do you qualify gossip with “I’m only telling YOU this…” or “Don’t tell anyone else” hope that this person truly won’t perpetuate your “information”? Are you hypocritical…treating others kindly in person – then criticizing them to friends and acquaintances? Do you pretend to be one person at church, at school, or in your community…then act differently when you are “among friends” out on the lake, at a party… or away at school?
Do you encourage others and strengthen them in their faith walk… or are you divisive? Do you build up relationships with your comments, actions and attitudes…or do you tear them down? Most of us would never dream of smoking in front of someone who is trying to quit… or taking an alcoholic out for drinks. But in essence, we do insensitive – and potentially harmful – things like this all the time with our words, actions, and relationships.
Quite often, we are not careful about our talk or our “walk”…we don’t stop to think about how what we are doing affects others. And the Bible is clear that to cause another person to succumb to temptation – or sin - can have serious consequences. But even more than this, to cause another person to question his/her faith…to discourage someone or “kick them when they are down” …is equally disappointing to God. We’d just as well tie a big rock around our necks and jump into the lake!
None of us would never intentionally harm a child. So we must remember to think of others as God’s children…and treat them accordingly. Let’s examine our hearts and our minds… our words and our actions… and see where we need to “clear the counter”. Let’s act with integrity, sincerity and genuine care and compassion. Let’s be the true disciples Jesus called us to be. I’m in…are you?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label enabling others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label enabling others. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for August 17, 2013
Psalm 120:6
I have spent too much time living among people who hate peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A friend called me one day to tell me that someone in her family was in the hospital with a sudden, serious illness. She went on to report that another family member had been involved in an accident and suffered some injuries… another was going through a job change… someone else had relationship issues… and she was waiting on lab results for a life-threatening condition. Honestly, she told me all of this with such a matter-of-fact directness that I commented later, “She seems to thrive on chaos!” And it does seem that certain people really are this way. If things are not falling apart in their life… if there isn’t some sort of constant turmoil… they are not “happy” (and I use that term loosely!).
Let’s be honest… every single one of us has challenges. My pastor likes to say that “there is a heartache on every pew.” We may not have multiple major illnesses and accidents or family crises occurring, like my friend… but there are still areas where the devil is trying to wreak havoc with us – and rob us of God’s peace in our heart. I don’t believe anyone enjoys such chaos and turmoil as much as he/she learns to accept it and live with it. Maybe you are one of these people. Maybe you have allowed these things to be such a “normal” part of your life that you don’t know how to truly revel in peace!
How do we turn this around? First, I believe we might have to distance ourselves from enablers… those who continually encourage us to wallow in our disorder. I’m not saying you have to start cutting friends out of your life or become rude and unfriendly toward anyone. I’m suggesting that you consider who you spend time with… what you discuss… and how you feel afterward. If you discover that a lot of the people with whom you are in frequent contact seem to act as accomplices in creating an unsettled or disturbed atmosphere, you may need to add some new friends to your circle.
Here’s an example… I once belonged to a group who got together regularly to eat and visit and socialize. It seemed like I came home from those events feeling tense and uneasy. I didn’t like some of the things discussed… there seemed to be an undercurrent of negativity… and it just left me feeling unhappy. I finally decided that maybe I needed to leave the group. I continued to maintain a relationship with many of the friends in the group – just not in that setting… and I felt so much more peaceful for it!
Secondly, we have to adjust our attitude. We have to make a concerted – and prayerful – effort to seek God’s peace… and to keep it in our hearts. We have to resist the temptation to “go there” when the devil tries to trouble us. When we start to feel uneasy or flustered, we need to say, “LORD, I trust YOU to handle this for me.” Then we need to stick out our chin, throw our shoulders back and say, “God’s got this for me” …and breathe a sigh of relief and calm.
Often, feeling peaceful is a choice! We choose to operate in God’s peace… or to wallow in the devil’s mess. What are you choosing these days? Is it time for you to turn things around... to walk away from people and situations that foster disorder and confusion? Have you spent too much time living among people who hate peace? Will today be the day that you move?
©2013 Debbie Robus
I have spent too much time living among people who hate peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A friend called me one day to tell me that someone in her family was in the hospital with a sudden, serious illness. She went on to report that another family member had been involved in an accident and suffered some injuries… another was going through a job change… someone else had relationship issues… and she was waiting on lab results for a life-threatening condition. Honestly, she told me all of this with such a matter-of-fact directness that I commented later, “She seems to thrive on chaos!” And it does seem that certain people really are this way. If things are not falling apart in their life… if there isn’t some sort of constant turmoil… they are not “happy” (and I use that term loosely!).
Let’s be honest… every single one of us has challenges. My pastor likes to say that “there is a heartache on every pew.” We may not have multiple major illnesses and accidents or family crises occurring, like my friend… but there are still areas where the devil is trying to wreak havoc with us – and rob us of God’s peace in our heart. I don’t believe anyone enjoys such chaos and turmoil as much as he/she learns to accept it and live with it. Maybe you are one of these people. Maybe you have allowed these things to be such a “normal” part of your life that you don’t know how to truly revel in peace!
How do we turn this around? First, I believe we might have to distance ourselves from enablers… those who continually encourage us to wallow in our disorder. I’m not saying you have to start cutting friends out of your life or become rude and unfriendly toward anyone. I’m suggesting that you consider who you spend time with… what you discuss… and how you feel afterward. If you discover that a lot of the people with whom you are in frequent contact seem to act as accomplices in creating an unsettled or disturbed atmosphere, you may need to add some new friends to your circle.
Here’s an example… I once belonged to a group who got together regularly to eat and visit and socialize. It seemed like I came home from those events feeling tense and uneasy. I didn’t like some of the things discussed… there seemed to be an undercurrent of negativity… and it just left me feeling unhappy. I finally decided that maybe I needed to leave the group. I continued to maintain a relationship with many of the friends in the group – just not in that setting… and I felt so much more peaceful for it!
Secondly, we have to adjust our attitude. We have to make a concerted – and prayerful – effort to seek God’s peace… and to keep it in our hearts. We have to resist the temptation to “go there” when the devil tries to trouble us. When we start to feel uneasy or flustered, we need to say, “LORD, I trust YOU to handle this for me.” Then we need to stick out our chin, throw our shoulders back and say, “God’s got this for me” …and breathe a sigh of relief and calm.
Often, feeling peaceful is a choice! We choose to operate in God’s peace… or to wallow in the devil’s mess. What are you choosing these days? Is it time for you to turn things around... to walk away from people and situations that foster disorder and confusion? Have you spent too much time living among people who hate peace? Will today be the day that you move?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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