My friend KJP reminded me of a story. It's rather a sad story about what not to do. It's something I have done, myself, unfortunately. God taught me a valuable lesson by allowing me to be on the receiving end.
I had a friend for years and years, we were close in high school, and right up until a couple years ago. She is a very steadfast Christian, the type who listens to the correct music and works in the Sunday school program. She has always chosen correctly, and I don't think that any major sins have ever tainted her testimony.
She was convinced that I was sleeping with the man I was dating at the time. So concerned was she, that she asked a couple of my more intimate friends if they had the same concerns. That was the first wrong move (they told me that she was searching out info). Why she didn't ask me is quite beyond me. Then, once we finally did have that conversation, she was already convinced that I was lying. She was convinced that I was "in sin" and that she could have no more to do with me. Truely. That was the dramatic end to a 15 year friendship.
Now, the point is; what do you do if someone you love is doing something wrong?
First of all, If I had really been doing what she thought, my concience would have been tormenting me. We saw that with my lie the other day. What I would have needed was someone who would love me and help me to do what was right. I would have known it was wrong, and I would have been in agony!
If I wasn't tormented by guilt, then I supose there would be bigger problems. Like a dead concience. If I was sleeping with a guy and okay with it, then perhaps I am not a "good Christian" in the first place. In which case, her little display of self-rightousness would have turned me off to Christ for a long time.
She didn't approach me as if she loved me and was concerned for my well-being. She came at it like I had a contagious disease, and she was fleeing contamination. That's a shame, really, because Jesus didn't do that with sinning people.
You know who Jesus was really hard on? The religious people who were so concerned about looking good that they neglected to love people.
So, my point, albiet a muddled one:
KJP, you love that girl of yours! She is going to need you and Jesus very much in the years to come. Sin hurts us, always. She is going to need her daddy to pick up the pieces and to pray for her.
3 comments:
I think there is definitely something to be said for humilty when helping someone who's going through a tough time in their walk. When we see that someone is struggling in sin, why not ask God immediately to show us who we were yesterday, lest we forget that we were each the vilest of sinners at one point or another.
It would seem in this way, we would have great mercy and genuine concern for people where they are now.
We can't really be effective if we feel we are so very "clean" and the one struggling is all dirty.
~paj
Yes, the Papa unit will be there for her - and probably continue to try and work on the guy to help him see a better way than the direction he has been taking.
Really need prayer today to make it through the day! I shortly will be meeting with her, the guy and his father for a late dinner - only the klutz still reigns! Yes, I tripped over a fan by my way to my printer earlier and dislocated a big toe (glorious whole purple foot!) and then pulled a bunch of muscles trying to keep my face off of the floor (so whiplash and left shoulder/back is gone). I really need pain killers but if I do I will not make it to dinner. If I don't, well this will be fun....
How I just love my life sometimes.....
kjp
Similarly, I lost two very close friends because they became convinced that I had lied to them based on someone, who had been told different, by someone, whom had been told by a friend of mine! Problem was, the first person had not been involved, second person had even misunderstood what the first had said and so all was lost.
My intregity is one of the few things I actually cherish and so it hurt to be so vilified by friends. In the end, I lost about half my friends over that one as people then started taking sides. And, everyone is a "good" Christian and everyone was doing the "right" thing, etc..
So, I know what you are saying in your tale!
kjp
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