Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
Thankfully, I haven’t had to endure many goodbyes. I said goodbye to my grandfather before he passed away, I said goodbye to a close friend when she moved to another state, and I said goodbye to my sister when she headed off to college. But now my home is taking a temporary trip to a distant land called “college.”
For a time, Raegan and I were friends. But our schedules changed, and so did our lives. We went our separate ways, but whenever I had the occasional encounter with her after that, these ugly feelings crept inside my heart and made me feel uncomfortable around her.
Regardless of our personality types, we have common struggles—and a common Savior. Maybe an extrovert wrestles with sharing gossip, but an introvert wrestles with stopping it. Maybe an extrovert has trouble keeping secrets, but an introvert has trouble opening up with honesty. Maybe an extrovert has trouble listening to her friends, but an introvert has trouble being friendly.
How should we respond to the people who are different than us? After all, aren’t we supposed to treat everyone equally? Aren’t we not supposed to judge people? In a word, yes.
Love—genuine, fervent, passionate love—is unique. It stands out. It makes a difference. Both Christians and non-Christians notice this kind of love. When a Christian shows Christ's love, it can encourage people who don't follow Him and people who do follow Him. There's something special—something noticeable—about this kind of love.
Don’t feel like a failure if someone you care about doesn’t listen to your advice or outwardly show appreciation for your concern. Though it may feel like you’re being rejected, you never know what God is doing in his/her heart. Maybe He is using your encouragement so he/she will change. Only that person can make a choice to change. Only God’s work in their heart will make them live differently.
Forbidden words and phrases have snuck into our everyday vocabulary. It is a rare thing to hear God’s name magnified instead of misused. Insults, complaints, and juicy gossip have replaced conversations about the weather and sales on shoes. Your chance of making a difference might look slim when you hear so much sour. But maybe you can be a little spark in the darkness.
Your little actions make a big difference. So how do we learn to smile, even if we’re having a bad day? How do we learn to be genuinely friendly?
Yesterday, I was sitting in my church pew, waiting for the service to start. I had the perfect opportunity to go say hi to a new girl at my church who recently became a Christian. My thought process went something like this: “What will I say to her? I have nothing important to talk about. I really don’t feel like walking two rows up to say hi to her. Ugh.” So I made things complicated for myself. I made a deal with God.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 