Do you ever ask yourself the question "What motivates me to act as I do, to live life the way I do, to treat people the way I do....?" It's probably a question we don't often stop to ask, let alone think about. What motivates me to be selfish, loving, hurtful, anxious, timid or kind? Why are some people naturally kind, caring and loving and relaxed in life while others are mean, uncaring, angry and sometimes violent?
The last question is one I often ponder on more than others. I read a quote recently from a man who has set up a workplace (Homeboy Industries) for men who have come out of gangs and prisons. He said.......
It is often the simple truth, that people speak, act and react out of their past pain or trauma. We will always find those who have experienced great childhood pain and overcome to go on to become great human beings. I can think of 2 I have met in my life; one woman (quite unknown), who is now preaching God's word around the globe and a man who had an incredibly difficult childhood with a drunken father who often abandoned him. He is now a well adjusted and amazing artist and artisan and loving husband and father. We do not necessarily have to become a product of our circumstances.
For these few there are so many more who have not been able to come through without first going to the pits, just like the farmer's prodigal son (Luke 15). You may have met them in your neighbourhood, at your workplace. People who act in ways that hurt, intimidate, demean. These are the times that we are challenged. Will I react in anger or offence or will I allow the love of God to motivate me? If we choose to imitate Jesus who loves and forgives we will not only have great peace of mind and heart but we will show the world what God really looks like; loving, forgiving, compassionate and merciful.
The last question is one I often ponder on more than others. I read a quote recently from a man who has set up a workplace (Homeboy Industries) for men who have come out of gangs and prisons. He said.......
You
stand with the belligerent, the surly, and the badly
behaved until bad behaviour is recognised for
the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded
and of those whose burdens are more than
they can bear. -
Gregory J Boyle
It is often the simple truth, that people speak, act and react out of their past pain or trauma. We will always find those who have experienced great childhood pain and overcome to go on to become great human beings. I can think of 2 I have met in my life; one woman (quite unknown), who is now preaching God's word around the globe and a man who had an incredibly difficult childhood with a drunken father who often abandoned him. He is now a well adjusted and amazing artist and artisan and loving husband and father. We do not necessarily have to become a product of our circumstances.
For these few there are so many more who have not been able to come through without first going to the pits, just like the farmer's prodigal son (Luke 15). You may have met them in your neighbourhood, at your workplace. People who act in ways that hurt, intimidate, demean. These are the times that we are challenged. Will I react in anger or offence or will I allow the love of God to motivate me? If we choose to imitate Jesus who loves and forgives we will not only have great peace of mind and heart but we will show the world what God really looks like; loving, forgiving, compassionate and merciful.
I will do what the Father requires of me so that the world will know that I love the Father.
John 14:31
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to not be quick to judge the behaviour of others, help me to hear with my heart and respond in a way that will show them what you are like. Amen
