This hit me this morning like a ton of bricks…
God can use you in one of two ways in the life of another person. And we get to choose which way.
He can use you to strengthen them through your words of encouragement, moral support and holding them up. He can use you to coach them along like an athlete. He can use you to inspire them to be better when they are not performing well. He can use you to cheer them on from the sidelines of their life. He can use you to speak just the right words they need to hear as they are going through a tough time. He can use you to shore them up when they fail and fill in the weak places when they are not at their best. He can use you to celebrate them when they succeed and pat them on the back when they don’t. He can use you like Jonathan. He was a true friend to David. He had David’s back through the best and worst times of his life.
Yes, God can use you like this.
Or God can use you in another way.
He can use your hateful words as something to drive them into the secret place where they have to seek him for healing. He can use your mean-spirited comments to challenge them to be better in spite of your opposition. He can use your criticism as a way of increasing their capacity for over coming hardships. He can use you as an enemy to strengthen them and make them better. He can use you to prune off their immaturity. He can use you to drive them into repentance and there he can prune them back down for future growth.
He can use you as a tool to discipline and toughen them. You can be mean and hateful. You can treat them badly. You can dog them out. But God won’t let them hate you. He wont let them retaliate against you. God will keep the focus on them and their development and he will deal with you later. God will use you as a tool in their life to convict them of sin and wrong attitudes of the heart–even towards someone who deserves anger and hatred. God will demand of them to forgive you, because either way, God wants us to grow. He wants us to grow up in his character and his nature. Sometimes he will use you, as an enemy like Saul was to David.
But God does not decide which way he will use us in that person’s life. We do. We decide if we will be a supportive friend or challenging enemy. Either way, God will use you to help them grow.
So how do you want to be used?
Just a thought.
Stella