It starts with us.

• By candidasullivan
• August 2, 2024
• No Comments

Do you ever feel discouraged and disappointed by the things in the world, your circumstances, or your hardships?

I do, too, sweet friends.

Sometimes, I hear about bad things happening in our world, and my heart breaks. At times, it feels like we are not making one ounce of progress with anything. Social media feels like a battleground right now. It’s a constant display of opposing opinions. And along the way, kindness and compassion for others are left out. 

My heart aches for the way others are treated. Why can’t we see the biggest problem in our world is us? It’s the way we think, the way we treat other people, and the way we judge and tear others down for having a different opinion or acting differently. 

People don’t like or accept those who are different from them, and we wonder why so many feel they are not good enough. 

To reach another person, we must first have love and compassion for them. That is the very illustration of Jesus. He loved unconditionally and had compassion for everyone. 

Satan has us fighting the wrong enemy. It’s not the things we need to fix outside of ourselves. It’s the things wrong inside of us. The storm outside of us has no power over us. But it’s what we allow to get inside of us. 

Judgements

Hatred

Anger

Jealous

Self-righteousness

We suffer when we allow these things to control our minds and hearts. Satan will sell us the lie that it’s okay to hate the sins of others. But hate of any kind will destroy us. 

I used to say, I love the person, but I hate their sin. But God showed me differently. As long as hate is attached in any way, I can’t love because love and hate can’t coincide. The last time I tried to bring up someone else’s sin in a self-righteous way, God showed me that I was the one wrong. After repented for judging them, I could pray for them correctly. 

True power is knowing and realizing that Jesus’s precious blood covers everything —every single sin, except unbelief.  

We don’t get others to believe in God by judging, criticizing, and hating them. We get them to Jesus by loving them enough to pray for them. What if we prayed and asked God to help their unbelief? 

Putting aside my judgments of others and loving them right where they are changed my life. Instead of standing on my soapbox preaching to them, I sit with them in their pain and try to show them Jesus through love. 

Change in our world starts with us. I might not be able to make a big difference in the world, but I can change myself. I can take the ugly parts of myself to Jesus. I can sit with Him and ask Him to change my thoughts, feelings, and actions. 

Anytime other people or things start to irritate me, I know that I need to ask God for help. Sometimes, it hurts my feelings to look inside myself and acknowledge my faults and failures. But it also heals me. 

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