God Loves Everyone

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and an awesome week coming to a close for you! It has been interesting this week; I have not found one single person who was going for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Literally every single person I have asked this week was going for the Giants! Poor Patriots...not one single person outside their families and me was going for them!!

I want to share a couple of different situations that I encountered this week:
1. A good friend called and wanted to talk about a situation he was having at work. He is having a conflict with his business partner, they are going through a "divorce" as he said. He told me about the challenges she has faced in her life, the brokenness she has experienced, the lack of trust she now has, the mean things she now does, the list goes on and on.
2. My boys were telling me about a little boy who they interact with on a pretty regular basis. The little boy whines, he is mean to the other kids, he starts fights and then runs and tells the person in authority that the other person is picking on him. Again, the list goes on and on.

When I was teaching a High School Sunday School class in Safford, AZ we once did a great exercise that I would like to ask you to do, at least mentally, this morning. Think of a person that you really don't like or get along with. Maybe it's someone who did something to you when you were a child or perhaps it is a current co-worker who is just mean-spirited. Now, draw a picture of them on a sheet of paper...again, this works if you just visualize it. Hang the picture on the wall right there in front of you...come one, stay with me and go ahead and do it. Now - this is the fun part - throw darts at that picture. Go ahead, let all the anger, resentment, frustration come out. Throw the darts harder! There is no limit on the number of darts you throw...you just keep on throwing until the anger, resentment, frustration are gone. Now, go take the picture off the wall. Do you see it? Yes, right behind the picture of the person who has caused you anger, resentment, frustration and pain is...a picture of Jesus. Every dart you threw cut, scared and marked the face of Jesus. When I threw that dart that felt so good, when I tore a big gash in the right cheek of the person I drew I also tore a big gash in the right cheek of Jesus. Uh-oh!!!

O.K., don't be mad at me and draw a picture of me know!!! I have been - heck, I am - where you are walking right now. There are people who do things that hurt us, that aren't or don't seem fair, who - for whatever reason - just seem to be mean-spirited. It is so easy to get caught up in ridiculing them, picking apart their faults, being angry at them, wanting - if we are truly honest with our feelings - bad to come to them, etc. Everyone can relate to this at some level or another.

I would like to offer up a two points to ponder that I hope will change our perspectives...even if only a little bit.
1. God loves, and He sent His Son to die for, each and every person that walks on the face of this earth. Please Friends, let the weight of that statement sink in for just a moment. We embrace this truth in our lives, we find comfort and peace in it and, particularly at moments of great pain and struggle, we put our hope in it. Yet we can struggle in seeing and accepting this in others. It becomes particularly difficult to see this in people who we deem "bad." On this whole continuum of people we start from the "saintly" to the most "evil" and at some point we find ourselves pausing, struggling to accept that Jesus could have possibly died for that person, that God could love them unconditionally just as He loves us and yet the bible tells me this is true.

When you find yourself in a situation where there is someone who is "difficult" (I use the term to describe the entire continuum) please pause for just a moment, remind yourself that God loves them and Jesus died for them and that they are not the real enemy. Again, the bible tells me these things are all true. Satan is true and alive. Sometimes he will use people to attack us, hurt us, discourage us, etc. At the end of the day the person is just like you and I - flawed, broken, in desperate need of a Savior. Nothing more, nothing less. The person is not the enemy...they may simply be the vessel that the enemy is using to carry forth his message.

2. Life is hard, people are hurt, broken and suffering. Take a quick look back at the two examples I gave at the top. The woman has experienced great pain, she has been hurt, as my friend described "she has had horrible things done to her." Look at the little boy. Would it surprise you if I told you his Mom & Dad are not invested in his life, that for most of his life he was left with a babysitter, that he struggles to show or accept loving affection? The woman is living out the pain - throwing darts if you will - and the little boy is desperately seeking attention. Both are crying out from the heart, "won't someone love me? Won't someone care about me?" They both desire it and are seeking it so strongly that they are hurting and pushing others away. It becomes one sad, vicious cycle.

I would like to encourage you to really care about and seek to understand others. I am not talking about being judgemental here. I am talking about looking beyond the attitude, the actions and truly try to understand the person. We are all the sum of our experiences. The statement "hurting people hurt people" really is true. It is absolutely no fun to be on the receiving end. We can rise above this though and possibly even help this person - I said possibly...please don't attach success or failure to the ultimate outcome...the bible says "so much as it is up to you get along with everyone" - if we will set our pride to the side and see the bigger picture. You may never find it easy or even possible to interact with them on a daily basis however this never prevents you from praying for them, lifting them up to the Lord and asking Him to minister to their hearts.

Two quick teachings from the Little Preacher this morning (how did a 6-year old get so smart and why in the heck can't I figure this out and have to keep learning? Rhetorical question, rhetorical question, please don't answer!!!):
1. Earlier this week I was taking the Little Preacher and his brother to school and we were late. As we pulled up to the school I said, "we don't have time for a hug and kiss this morning. You have to get going." Oh my gosh, the look on his face tore at my soul and ripped my heart out. He froze. Realizing how utterly stupid my comment was I gave him a hug and a kiss. He was immediately energized and bounced out of the car confident, happy and ready to face his day. There is always time for a hug and kiss Friends...we have to make the time.
2. As we were snuggling the other night the Little Preacher says, "You know, God has it all planned." Truly Friends, I was shocked. We aren't talking about anything. We are laying there snuggling, I am starting to doze off...drooling will commence in minutes and the Little Preacher says this. After asking him to repeat himself to make sure I am not dreaming I ask him who told him that. He says, "I just thought about it...and I asked Mom." Now that made my heart happy and brought a huge smile to my face. May we all have the faith of our Little Preachers...and a Mom who knows everything!

Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you Friends. I will always be happy and willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and truly cherish your precious families.

Kev