Black and White

Well, these are my thoughts for the day.

I'm starting to think that as Christians, we tend to see things in black and white, right or wrong. And in a sense, things are pretty black and white. As far as do's and don'ts, the Bible is pretty clear. But I think sometimes we get too set in that mindset.

You see, my thoughts for the day are, when I look at a lot of people, non-Christians especially, and see people who consistently sin, I'm starting to see not so much the sin as the hurt that causes them to sin.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the fact that somebody hurts is an excuse to sin, or makes it not wrong, but I do feel it changes the way we need to look at them or minister to them.

The way I see it is, all men are without excuse. They KNOW what they're doing is wrong. They don't need us to tell them that what they're doing is wrong--they already know! At which point, I think we need to ask ourselves, why don't they care?

I think a lot of times people sin, particularly with sins like substance abuse or sleeping around, because they hurt and they don't know what else to do. In which case they don't need us to tell them what's wrong with how they're living. Rather, I think they need to see an alternative lifestyle in our lives. And I think, too, we need to make a point of loving on them, rather than judging them. What makes us any different from the rest of the world if we judge them exactly the same? We're supposed to love people, and Christians have this reputation for being judgmental. Not that it's true, but I think we need to be all the more aware of the fact that people are predisposed to thinking we're judgmental.

I think it's a lot more important that we love people than judge them. And I think we need to be building relationships with them. Who's going to listen to a random person on the street telling them they're going to Hell? It may be true, but not everything that's true needs to be said all the time. And they're much more likely to listen to you say that, if that's what needs to be said, if you have a relationship with them, if you've built a friendship and they have past reasons to believe that you love them and that they can trust you, and that you honestly have their best interest at heart.

I feel like sometimes we look down on the people who do befriend people who are "sinners." But honestly, I believe that's what needs to happen.

My last thought is, who are we to judge? First of all, we don't know ANYTHING about this person or where they're from. Like I say, circumstance doesn't keep something from being wrong, but sometimes it sheds a little light on what's happening. And 2, it's not like we're perfect, either. We are rarely in a position to judge.

I'm not saying that sometimes we don't need to tell somebody that what they're doing is wrong. Sometimes, it's what they need to hear. But I think in dealing with people, and in ministering to people, it's not actually as black and white as we tend to think. You just have to take it case by case, but I think first and foremost, we need to love people. Love first, and if you must, judge second. But always, ALWAYS love first. And make sure they KNOW that you love them and that you are "judging" them BECAUSE you care about them.

I think you're bound to have a lot more impact if people know you care about them.

Those are my ponderings for the day.

xoxo,
Erika Rose