LOVING LIKE GOD
Rochelle Rocha Roots holds a Master of Family Ministry. She is the Executive Assistant to the President at SCS. She is a speaker, teacher, biblical counselor, and facilitator. Rochelle founded Healthy Family Roots to help families have healthier relationships.
Do you have someone in your life that is behaving badly but God won’t let you write him/her off or give up on them?
Here is a word the Holy Spirit recently spoke to my spirit:
“Often times the Lord does not deal with an outward blatant sin until He heals the inward bleeding soul.”
What a great reminder that what’s going on the outside is exposing what’s on the inside. As you continue to love and pray for this person, pray for HEALING. The bad choices are a symptom of the root cause—their bleeding soul. Most people want to do good but just don’t know how. It is being IN Christ (truly abiding in His person) that one has the power to change. He or she may not truly know Jesus yet or are a work in progress (which we all are).
Our help lies in being led by the Holy Spirit and discerning how we can love them best in each moment. Love takes on many forms. I Corinthians 13 tells us that love is kind, patient, and enduring, but it is also strong and firm. Remember, love rejoices with the TRUTH, not lies nor excuses. Tough love is a thing. After all, God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:4-7). As Christ followers we are to love like God—both with truth and grace.
Romans 5:8 tells us how God loves us: While we were yet sinners (behaving badly), Christ died for us (because He loved us anyway). When someone disappoints us with bad behavior, let’s choose to:
- STOP our condemning criticism.
- PRAY for the Spirit’s discernment.
- SEE the person’s soul.
- LOVE accordingly with truth AND grace.
Our love will also draw our recipients to Love Himself–Jesus Christ–and to the salvation and healing they need to change and become whole. So, let’s keep loving like God for His love will cover a multitude of sins!