There is a common thread between lots of people I get to meet
these days. One of the pieces that seems
to be the most difficult for me to deal with is distrust. We have all been hurt. We have all been lied too at some point. This means that we often deal with people
based upon how people have treated us in the past.
It isn’t easy to break down the walls that led to not
trusting anyone, yet when those walls come down, relationships are strengthen,
hope is built and lives begin to change.
How sweet is really is when you are talking with a person and they open
up to tell you their story. It is full
of pain. There are lots of tears. But in the middle of the conversation that is
a little smile and huge connection because you are sharing life.
Romans 15:2 NLT
We should
help others do what is right and
build them up in the Lord.
I recently sat with a young person who has all of life ahead
of them. By being in their early 20’s
there are endless possibilities, but they shared their story. It broke my heart. I heard about the pain of broken
relationships, of having to leave home as a young teen and even of having to
protect a younger sibling. My heart was
so heavy. I began to talk to this
precious person about who they are in Christ and about the potential that God
put in their life, and it was like a light bulb was turned on in their head. It really was awesome.
Not long ago I talked with a 30 something year old. As they talked about their kids I was heart
broken again. Life isn’t fair, and the
choices that some people make hurt terribly.
Those choices didn’t just affect this adult. They impacted their children in ways that
they didn’t realize. We talked about how
to step forward, how to get help and how to help their children. But the choices that they need to make now
are harder than ever. Yet we started
talking about the future and the kids finding hope, and there was a smile and a
connection. It was awesome too.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT
Two people are better off than one, for
they can help each other
succeed.
We ought to have conversations with people who are in the
middle of pain. We ought to help people
who really are hurting people. We might
help by providing food, paying a bill or spending time with them. The conversations aren’t easy either, yet
when people find out that you really care, people start opening up and sharing
life with you.
Jesus shared life with others. He was always calling out the best in
people. Getting honest, sharing life and
building people is just want we do at The Community Fellowship. I wouldn’t trade this for anything. But my heart aches for hurting people, and I
pray that we can reach even more people in the days ahead. As Tommy Barnett has said for many years,
“find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it.”
Isaiah 35:4 NLT
Say to those
with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God
is coming to destroy your enemies. He is
coming to save you.”
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