Don't Change Who They Are

I meet with a group of the most amazing women for Bible study and prayer every third Thursday of the month. We have formed a kind of cocoon of rest and safety, where we can be completely honest and vulnerable with each other. Lives are touched, emotions healed and strength restored when we come together.

Last night we ventured into the arena of past hurts and old wounds and how they cause us all to do and be things that should not be in our nature to do. It struck me that God creates us all, from the beginning, with a purity and a purpose that is not clouded with pain and hurt and suffering. That is how He sees us and intends us to be.

Because we are human and frail and sinful, we are hurt by and are hurtful to others. When it comes to children being hurt, I believe it is Oprah who says, it changes who they are. What if we could be aware of a child's purity and purpose, and if we would only see them as He sees them? I believe we would be ever so much more careful of how we treat them.

Just think how much easier it would be to treat people (children especially) with God's plan and purpose for them in mind. Wouldn't that be simpler than trying to repair broken people later? I can think of actions in my present life that stem from past wounds and hurts. I have put up barriers or hardened myself at times when my pure self wouldn't have chosen to do so.

If we can put a finger on those instances from the past that have maybe put some things in us that we don't like, then we can bring God's forgiveness into those situations and be healed. It is

liberating to think that He wants us to see ourselves as He sees us. When we come to Him, He sees a son or a daughter who was created in His image, whole and beautiful. What if we saw ourselves and each other that way?

The next time you witness someone acting ugly, try to imagine what sort of past situation could be bringing about the behavior. Look at them the way their Creator sees them and treat them accordingly. I think you will be amazed at the reaction.


From His lap,