Monday, May 21, 2012

Hold them loosely - devotion today

1 Corinthians 10:24 says Let no one then seek his own good & advantage and profit, but (rather) each one of the other (let him seek the welfare of his neighbor).
Most of us struggle at times with wanting or trying to control people and situations because of fear. We are afraid we wont get what we want, so we try to orchestrate circumstances to get what we want and avoid what we dont want.
Neither you not I should try to control the destiny of another human being. This is not our right, and God will not permit it. Try to influence others in a positive way, but dont cross the line and take away their liberty.
Fear is that emotion that influences us most in life, but that can be changed. What are we afraid of? Being needy or alone, suffering pain or loss? We try to manipulate people to be sure they are always in our lives & doing what we would like for them to do. Set people free, and if they really love you they will always come back.
Whatever God gives us, we must learn to hold loosely in our hands. If we dont own anything,we cannot lose anything. We are stewards over our children, not owners or masters. Everything really belongs to God, and He has endowed everyone with the right of free choice. We must learn to love people, not try to own them or make them over into our image; thats an act of selfishness, not love.
Give the gift of freedom. That will be a great expression of love from you, & people will love you for it in return.
Love others today: Remember you are a steward over God's blessings, not the owner.

(I need to be reminded of this.. It isnt my job to fix things or try to make other people do & act the way I think they should or to interfere with others' relationships , for me I need to love those around me & accept them & not have expectations of how our relationship is, everyone has the right to decide what type of relationship they want with another person & if I cannot respect their idea of a relationship with me then I have to let them go, or if I can, I have to be willing to let them be who they are & accept the relationship where it is at. I can express my wants and boundaries out of a relationship but then that person can decide whether they can agree to what I want out of a relationship with them. I know I need to focus on my relationships with people & not get caught up in peoples relationships with others. Not sure if this makes any sense.

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