Recently I had this realization: I often find myself writing people off as damaged goods. I look at their imperfections and surmise they will never "fit" in the Christian realm as anything more than a pew warmer and that I should remember them in prayer. It is almost as though I write them off and do not encourage/challenge them to improve. Even if God has helped a person leave his sins in the past, I tend to retain that "label" for him and discount any God-given abilities. Quite frankly, I am limiting God's ability to save people from their sins and restore them to the lives He intended for them. If I do not believe they are, or can be, a new creation, I really wonder why I bother praying for people with recurring sins in the first place! If I exclude someone from an activity or do not offer him an activity simply because he is labelled "sinner," I have a lot more editing to do. In fact, if the credentials are that of a non-sinner, no one would stand! Christ redeems people and wipes away our sins when we repent and trust in Him. So, if someone has truly repented, those sins no longer exist, and I certainly shouldn't limit or eliminate what God had done with my skewed perception.
Bottom Line:
God didn't intend for people to be flawed. He did not create adulterers, liars, thieves, etc. Sin corrupted. Satan took his hold on God's perfect creation.
God created gifted people. In Christ, our sins are absolved and our souls perfected. We need to see people as God intended them to be and help direct and encourage them in fulfilling that purpose. Not write them off as being "defective" because they have, or have had, "problems."
I am praying God will continue opening my eyes to situations in which I am doing this and that He will help me see people as He intended them to be seen.
(Oh, and from this post onward, I am going to restart being politically incorrect and use male pronouns when referring to a person of the human race unless he is already identified as female. Obviously I will not later refer to "Sue" as a "he" unless, of course, Johnny Cash is singing.)
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