Are we accepting of others?

You know how it is…

You walk into a meeting or gathering.

You’re afraid because you don’t want to do or say anything wrong.

You just want to sneak in and out because if anyone really knew you, they wouldn’t like you.

You think everyone knows your problems — even though they don’t.

You think, “Oh Lord! Please let me be accepted here. I know I have problems, don’t let them see what they are.”

We ALL have something we’ve dealt with at some point in our lives. Maybe now, we are in a better place. We are over the depression, anxiety, mood swings, anger or…

We tend to forget how it was when we felt so alone, vulnerable, self-conscious and hurting. Needing someone to listen and to be loved & accepted.

Now, let’s look at this from the other side…

Have you ever said to yourself…

“She has too many problems for me.”

“She just doesn’t fit into my circle.”

That very person could be anyone of us.

Honestly, I have been on both sides of this. I’m certainly not perfect.

No matter who we are, we really just want people to get us!

When you were in your funk, how did others react to you? Did they reject you? Or did they come alongside you and pray with you? How did their reaction help or harm you? How did it affect your healing?

Jesus himself walked among troubled people. He ate with them, drank with them. He healed the beggar, cleansed leapers, healed the woman with the bleeding disorder, healed ones with demon possession and healed the blind. (Believe me; we can be blind in ways other than physically!) He was showing us that we should not exclude ANYONE! All are accepted at His table.

Another time, a Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for dinner. A sinful woman came in weeping at Jesus feet, wiping His feet with her tears and her hair and then anointed Him with expensive perfume. The Pharisee had a fit!

Toward the end of this story, Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” Luke 7: 36-50

Jesus wants us to love others where they are, but He doesn’t want them to stay where they are.

Jesus asks us to go and make disciples. So, how do we lead them to Christ if we keep them at a distance?

Here is the answer to the problem…

We love them in the same way Christ loves us. We are not all counselors and we aren’t called to FIX people. BUT we are called to LOVE them were they are. God will do the rest. Just as HE has done for you and I.

Remember the story about the good Samaritan? Luke 10: 25-37 In short, robbers left a man along the road for dead. A priest came but didn’t want anything to do with the poor man. A Levite passed him by. Then a Samaritan came along and stopped.

The Samaritan man bent down, cleaned the man’s wounds, put him on his donkey and took him to an inn. He paid the innkeeper to care for the man.

God wants us to notice, care and soothe the wounds.

Sometimes all we are called to do is listen, show love and accept that person right where they are.

We cannot forget where we’ve come from.

I, myself would LOVE to forget my past. If we do, we cannot begin to show mercy and acceptance to someone else. We have ALL been shown mercy and grace from our Heavenly Father. We are daughter’s of the King of the Universe. Jesus has covered us with HIS blood, made us white as snow, a new creation in Him.

I say this as a reminder to all of us. You don’t need to feel any condemnation about your past. God has a future for you! God will do awesome work in each of us if we accept Him and allow the Holy Spirit in to do His work.

If you are reading this and haven’t met Jesus and don’t know what I’m talking about, message one of The Connection ladies or me. We would love to chat with you.

Put on then, as God’s chosen, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3: 12-14

The bottom line is, we need to accept others where they are.

Showing compassion, kindness, humility, patience, bearing with one another. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13: 34-35

In this verse, Jesus says to love one another three times. Hmm…do you think He’s trying to tell us something?

Remember, the world has plenty to offer, but we have The Answer, Jesus Christ. Only His love endures forever.

Dear Father,

Thank you for loving us where we are. Please help us to love others as you want us to.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Love,

Deb Cool

Deb Cool is passionate about Jesus and women’s ministry. She currently leads a women’s small group through her church, LCBC Waynesboro.

Deb has been married for 42 years to the love of her life, Rodney. They have awesome sons whom have beautiful wives. And they are blessed with eight amazing grandchildren.