I think that confrontation must just be a part of life. Today I told someone that I thought there was a distinct difference between lovingly confronting someone, and letting anger festure inside, or even take over outwardly. I hope that this is true. It seems to me that God has been taking me on a long road of learning to confront lately. I think I am finally starting to get a little bit more comfortable with it.
It is interesting to me, because Travis has been telling me for a long time that I need to start confronting people when they do something that offends me, or what I believe. Maybe he was sick of hearing about how frusterated I was. Or maybe he had a point. He is supposed to be my spiritual leader, so there must be something to what he says.
It really has been a lot of things lately that God has been calling me to confront. what is interesting is that God has not told me to confront anyone in the same way as anyone else. Maybe that is one way to know that it is God. He is a good trainer. He knows our inner workings. He knows that what would make someone like me cry, just might make someone else think a little bit.
I have also been learning to leave the outcome up to God. Trust must be something that we continue to learn our whole lives, because God certainly does not let up in teaching me trust. Maybe that is because I haven't learned the lesson yet, or maybe I have come a long way but I won't 'be there' until heaven. First I started to learn to trust God with issues in my own life. Husband, ( bravo God), Children ( hurry up God... oh, wait, I trust you), house, ( bravo God) and other things, come to think of it, He IS pretty darn trustworthy. After I learned to start trusting God with my life, he started teaching me to trust him with others. I have always had a hard time because I have worried about hurting others feelings, offending them, saying the wrong thing, or making someone not like me. God is teaching me now to say what he wants me to say, and leave the outcome up to him. It's harder than it sounds.
Interesting that this little course of events came after God taught me about the abomination of tolerance. I truly am starting to believe that speaking the truth in love reaps beautiful results, including much more freedom in me than when I stew inwardly with my concerns and difficulties.
I really do think that a clean fight when added to a healthy resolution equals intimacy. And the resolution does not have to come from the person. It can come from God and build beautiful intimacy with Him as well.
2 comments:
Oh Amen Chandie!! So true. I too am still learning about how to lovingly confront. And it is SO true that you have to leave the outcome to God, and that the most important outcome is the closness with God, and the good it does your own soul to not bottle things up sometimes, but deal with them from a free place. Jesus certianly confronted! I love the way you put it in those last two sentences! The more we build our intimacy with God, the bigger, stronger, people we are, in a very good way. The more we are free to be just exactly who God made us to be. And everything He made is " good". Love You !!
This scripture came to me for you as I read this: "Therfore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Cor. 15:58
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