Let It Be part 1
Yes, one of my favorite Beatles songs. And yes, I understand that there are some things that we should NOT stand for. You know the old saying, "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything." But when it comes to relationships we really should follow the words of Revelation 22:11, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." In other words, when it comes to people... let it be. And, as always, I'm not saying you should put yourself in, or allow yourself to stay in, a bad situation. Love doesn't mean letting people continually abuse you. And chances are, in that kind of situation, you're doing more harm than help by staying in it. When you grab a rope, you hurt your hand more by holding on than by letting go. And here's the problem: We think we can change people. When, in fact and in truth, we really really can't. People are going to be who they're going to be and people are going to do what they're going to do. I've even seen first hand that sometimes when you offer someone a more excellent way... they can't always receive it. Sometimes the timing isn't right. And I can't tell you how frustrating it is to HAVE the answer, but to have it fall on deaf ears. To tell someone something over and over again and then later on, when its too late for you to enjoy the fruit of your labor so to speak, for them to tell you, "I really get what you were trying to say." I mean, that's great. Some plant, and some water, but its God who gets the harvest right? So all of your sowing wasn't in vain. But at the same time... I'm glad you're figuring it out, but does it always have to happen AFTER I'm gone? Maybe. But my point for this Rant series is not about banging your head against the wall and coming away with nothing but a headache. My point for this Rant series is that you can't force help on people. You can't force change on people. And the harder you try the more frustrated you'll be. So just... let it be. If someone doesn't fit into your box of who or what they should be... get over it. Love them anyway, even if that means doing it from a distance. Because if you're trying to help someone that doesn't want your help... it's not going to go well. Its really not. And here's the passage that I've been kind of grabbing at for a little while now. Its in the love chapter. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 in the New Living Translation: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." Love does not demand its own way. God does not demand HIS own way. God will TELL you the way. Look at the people of Israel in the Old Testament. Over and over again God told them what was up. And over and over again they did what they wanted to do. And, yes, they reaped the consequences of their actions. But God never left them nor forsook them. He was always right there, waiting for them to give Him the opportunity to do what He does. And what He does, every time all of the time, is love. So no matter what someone does, that's what we can do. Every time. All of the time. We can love. We can let people be who they are and we can love them regardless. Because love, by nature, is unconditional. Let people be who they are. And let love be who HE is!