For the love of people
The hardest thing we can do is to love people when they are at their worst. Friends, family, spouses, and even strangers are capable of hurting us in some type of way. It’s actually inevitable. Pain is real and we are all capable of feeling it and even causing it. There is a specific bible verse that I run to every single time I get hurt and whenever I don’t understand someone else’s actions. We can never control or understand why people do what they do, but we can control how we respond to all of it. My first response is to simply pray for them. Usually with tears rolling down my face, I immediately pray that God would forgive them for hurting me.
“Father, please forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
By praying for them, I am graciously loving them the way that Jesus does. And by doing this, I have already won in so many ways that the enemy cannot even comprehend. This is something my parents have taught me as a young girl- “God will take care of it; we just have to pray from them!”
“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with a blessing because this is what you were called to do, so that you may inherit a blessing.”
It’s quite disappointing when someone you love wrongs you in some way. Sometimes, we don’t even know if it was intentional or not! I always give people the benefit of the doubt, but I often ask my self a billion questions whenever this happens:
Why would they do that?
Did they mean to hurt me?
Do they really care for me?
If they really loved me, they wouldn’t have done that, so why did they?
What were they thinking?
Are they even my real friends?
And 10 out of 10 times, the next thing I would do is take a HUGE step back and take some time and space to reflect on the situation and myself. We will never know or understand why people hurt us, but we can stand firm in God’s truth, knowing that His plans for us are good.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Usually after a lot of prayer and much needed space, God provides me with clarity and confidence to either approach the situation with grace, completely let go and move on from the situation, or let go of the person. At the end of the day, we need to be surrounding ourselves with people who are going to lift us up, not tear us down. If they are not serving goodness into your life, you need to let them go and let God handle the situation. Sometimes that means ending a friendship, and that’s okay! Letting go of the past creates room for the future.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”
It’s hard to love people when they show you their worst, but it’s important to recognize who is serving goodness into your life and who is not. God has a beautiful way of revealing those people to you whenever you ask him in prayer.
“For everyone who asks, shall receive; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
From there, it’s up for you to decide on whether or not you are going to let God handle the situation. No matter what you decide, I encourage you to pray for them. Even when you don’t want to; even when you think they don’t deserve it! When someone shows you their worst, show them Jesus! Kindness always wins; Jesus always wins!!
With the biggest smile and a heart full of gratitude, I wish you well <3
Love,
Madi Brooke
