Dear Anonymous;

In response to your comment on my last post… I know it is frustrating at times. Personally, I find that there is nothing worse than walking on egg shells around someone, not knowing when they’ll erupt or run away. It’s very hard (quite draining) to be true friends with people like that. But you have to wonder what’s going on behind the scenes in this person’s life? There’s always a reason; a past hurt, a way someone was raised or had life modeled before them, a current offence — not for gossip reasons but to be able to help them release the real problem, move on and be healed.

Also knowing when and where to say something and what to say is a learned art, directed by the Holy Spirit of course and ALWAYS done in love. I’m still learning this after all these years! What I have found is that if we have a relationship with the person it does make it easier. You can’t just walk up to someone who is virtually a stranger or even someone who is more like an acquaintance than a friend. If it’s invited, they’ve allowed you to speak into their life, committed to a covenant relationship — than even more fruit will come from it.

Pray for an opportunity to be able to speak into this person’s life, that their heart be softened and that they are receptive to instruction. Instruction and criticism are two very different things but someone who gets offended easily doesn’t see it that way. If it’s not you who they will receive correction (improvement) from ~ pray for someone that this person respects and will listen to ~ to speak into their life.

In the meantime ~ be an example of how to live, talk, relate, etc. 1 Tim. 4:12b, “… Teach believers with your life: by word (speech), by demeanor (conduct), by love, by faith, by integrity (purity).” In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul wrote, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ”. We are all to live that exact same way. We are all leaders and mentors to someone ~ we ALL have a sphere of influence. How we live, talk, relate, love, etc inevitably will affect someone else to live, talk, walk, relate, love that exact same way.

Live what you believe and pray that some of it rubs off…