Though I wish no one ever hurt or made a bad decision; I know the reality we live in – both happen. There are even times when the best form of help I can give is to let people hurt. Rescuing them from the consequences of their choices, though it hurts to watch, is actually quite hurtful.
I used to solve my problems by eating king-sized candy bars. If God were a God of love, wouldn’t He take away the calories every time I ate one? Nope, He let my pants get tighter. Wouldn’t He rescue Me from the consequences of eating all those candy bars? Nope, He let me get larger shirts to hide the weight. Helping by taking away the consequences of my choices would actually have hurt me. By taking away the calories, I would have never gotten over 200 pounds, which alerted me to the fact that I had a problem. Taking away the consequences of tight pants and larger shirts, would have kept me from looking at why I ate those candy bars in the first place and from discovering the truths that help me turn and stay close to Jesus today.
Helping today can be hurtful tomorrow. Do we give up on them? Certainly not! Jesus never gives up on us, nor should we give up on others or ourselves. Yet at times, the best thing we can do is pray for the person to realize that their choices are actually hurting them. Prayer is not a cliché, but a powerful tool in helping those who are hurting themselves. It is the best form of rescue ever created. Pray the Spirit breaks through before the consequences really hurt.
Set Free “N”owww