Post #21 - I'm More Than What You See

Theres a saying that when a person shows you who they are, you should believe it. I say we should believe what God says about us.

We all go through our own individual struggles and those struggles sometimes effect who we are and how we present ourselves. Not that we are bad people, but sometimes our struggles make us act out of character.

I used to have an issue with this guy at church. I don't really know what the issue was or why he disliked me, but it was as if he delighted in putting me down.

I complained to him and about him to anyone who would listen. I even complained to God. When I was supposed to be praying, I found myself complaining about him and would actually get angry while in prayer.

I would tell God how this person needed to change and asked how he could hold his position in the church and treat people the way he did. I continuously vented to God about the things the guy would do and say.

This went on day after day until one day, in the midst of "prayer" God said to me, "Is he not my son, too?"

Wow! That floored me! I had never thought of it that way before. All I could see was how terrible the guy was being to me and to others. But God asked me to see the guy through spiritual eyes.

There's another saying that hurt people hurt people. This is so true. People who are hurting tend to do and say things, sometimes unintentionally, to hurt other people. There may be something about a person or situation that reminds the hurt person of the situation that hurt them... and they react.

God revealed to me that the guy at church is one of those hurt people who are subconsciously hurting others. God said that the guy needed prayer - true and genuine prayer, not just a complaint session. 

A lot of times, people act the way they do because of something that hurt them in their past. They may not realize it, but they act the way they do for fear of being hurt, or failing, or outdone.... Some people withdraw and run from these things, others go on the defensive.

In either case, God asks that we see them for who they REALLY are, not who they show us they are.

Remember that we were all made in God's image and likeness. He has ordained a plan and path for us even before we were born. At the same time, the enemy has developed his own plan to derail us.

And when the awful moments happen in our lives that reshape us, we can be pushed off track. That's why it is important to love and pray for one another. Not only does it disrupt the plan of the enemy, but it helps each other to grow and be healed. 

We don't know why we act the way we do or the extent of one another's pain. So, let's not look at one another just on the surface. Let's pray for one another and ask God to show us each other through His eyes. 

God will truly change the way we see one another.