by Mary R. Snyder
I love church. From the preaching and teaching to the worship and music, church is the place I can rest, refresh, and get rejuvenated for the week ahead.
Church is the place I love to connect. There’s something so precious about building relationships with my sisters in Christ. We may not have one thing in common, beyond a love for Jesus—but that alone should be enough.
Sad that’s not always the case. There are times when Christians fight, backbite, and are just downright mean.
As believers we must make it our business to love one another. This can be our greatest witness to a nonbelieving world. The way we treat one another is a picture of our heart. What do nonbelievers see when they look at you and your relationship with your sisters in Christ? How do you treat others in the body?
Those who don’t know the Lord are not impressed with the number of Bible studies you’ve led or the amount of Scripture you can quote. They aren’t impressed that you serve on 6 committees, sing in the choir, and teach Sunday School. People who don‘t know the Lord are looking at how you treat others in the good times and in the bad times. This is their gauge. How do you measure up?
Heart Gauge: Where are you?
Wholehearted—love people where they are. Try to find the good in all, but you are realistic and accept people as human and imperfect. You forgive those who hurt you and move on.
Halfhearted—love most people where they are. Look for good in most situations. Often try to make people fit into your idea of righteous. Struggle with holding grudges and forgiving people who hurt you.
Hard-hearted—refuse to accept anyone who doesn’t fit into your idea of righteous. Holds grudges and won’t forgive.
These are 3 very broad, simplistic categories, and it’s possible that you fall between two of these. But what if this is the only gauge someone has for you? Strip away all the church stuff, all the community stuff, and just look at how you treat others—what’s there?
Trust me, I know. I’ve given myself this very test and I’ve failed. Some months are better than others, but I’ve been the worst: gossiping about fellow Christians, judging my friends, and manipulating situations and people. And I’ve been on the receiving end of these as well.
God took me down a road—a long, heartbreaking road where I saw my actions for what they are—sin. I learned the hard way, but oh how I learned. I pray daily that the Lord give me the ability and the grace to love others right where they are, just like He loves me right in the middle of my messy life.
Does this mean I agree with the actions of all my fellow Christians? No, of course not. I can disagree with a person and still love them. We can disagree and find a way to work through our differences with love and respect.
How can we reach out to those who are lost if we can’t even get along with one another?
Mary Snyder’s busy blog is one of multiple ways crowds of women connect with this leader’s message of hope, joy, and adventure in Jesus Christ. As Premier Christian Cruises Girl’s Get-A-Way group coordinator, contest director, and girlfriend leader, Mary has a following that’s near, far, and across cultures. When she’s not cruising, she can be found at home with family near Birmingham, Alabama. Her first release from New Hope Publishers is God, Grace, and Girlfriends.
Tom
