TOUCHING HEARTS, CHANGING LIVES
Yesterday, as I was driving for Lyft here in The Woodlands and Conroe, I had the privilege of giving three college ladies a ride. I was taking them to a wedding which was a good distance away. We had some great conversations and laughs, and here is one convo I want to share with you. We were talking about Christianity and how it is perceived by others. We had a lot of fun even though some of the subjects were really deep and serious. One lives in Ft. Worth, one in Dallas, and the other in San Diego.
We were talking about touching hearts and how some Christians, (religious folks), tell people what they should be doing and sometimes they just plain judge them out loud causing even more pain to the individual. That’s just plain being the devil’s advocate and it can crush their spirit even more. That’s what he does to them all the time already. Are we going to add to the pain? They really need to know they are loved and need hope in that moment. Unless they ask for advice, it might be better to keep it inside until the opportunity arises, if and when it does. Perhaps we need a better relationship established before they let us in, if not, it could be like water running off of a duck’s back. It could also push them away from the One who created them and really loves them, giving them a false idea of Who He really is.
Do we remember where we were and how we were doing before giving our hearts to Jesus, Him filling us with His love, and changing us? Or, were we pushed at Jesus that same way in fear of judgment? I remember hearing a lot of hell, fire, and damnation and it took me a long time to get over the fear it instilled inside of me. I was afraid to come near Him for a long time and it took a lot to get past it. It is His kindness and love that leads us to Him and helps us to want to change our ways. It is His kindness that helps us know that He’s not going to smack us, but rather, that His loving arms are open towards us and His are the greatest hugs we’ll ever get no matter how far we’ve run from Him or what we’ve done. I wrote the song STILL from my own journey.