2015 10 18 ~ We Need Each Other

We Need Each Other Each of us has people all around. We have parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, and cousins. There are other children at school and church, people at the store or park, and people we never even meet. Some of these people we enjoy being with. Can you name some people you enjoy spending time with? You talk, play games, and eat meals with those you enjoy. Are there ever people you don’t enjoy? Sadly, yes! There are those we don’t particularly enjoy being with. Do you know Jesus has a special assignment for us when we don’t enjoy being with a person? God desires for us to show love and kindness to people we don’t enjoy. He wants us to love even those who are hateful or rude. Do you know we need each other? We need the people around us to help us grow to look more like Jesus. Some people help us look like Jesus because they are beautiful expressions of who He is. When you are with them, you see His love, kindness, joy, patience, self-control and the other fruit of His Spirit. It is easy to understand why these people are valuable in our lives. Some people don’t look a lot like Jesus. They are needed in our lives too. They give us an opportunity to show God’s love. When we show love to someone who is hateful, when we share with someone who is selfish, and when we are faithful to someone who wasn’t faithful to us we grow in amazing ways. Is it easy to be kind to someone who is kind to us? Of course it is. Is it easy to be kind to someone hateful? No, it isn’t. That is hard. When we do what is right when it is hard, we grow and mature. We stop thinking about ourselves and we show love to someone else and to God. Another reason we need each other is to be held accountable. Do you know what that means? It means we need someone to tell us when we are doing something wrong. We make mistakes, and sometimes we just choose to sin. We need people who love us to tell us when we are doing something that will hurt someone. If I am talking bad about someone else, it is gossip and it is hurtful to whomever I am talking about. I need a good friend to tell me what I am doing so I can stop. Only a mature, true friend is willing to tell you when you are doing something wrong. I am not talking about a person who enjoys pointing out someone else’s issues. I mean a person who loves you enough to tell you so you can change. God has placed many people in your life. They look, talk, and act differently. Some know and love God. These will be good examples for you to know God too. Others don’t look much like Jesus at all. They offer you an opportunity to show them God’s love. Remember, also, to have people around you, like your parents and pastors, who love you enough to let you know when you are about to hurt someone or yourself. You should be that kind of friend. If you see a friend doing something harmful, love them enough to tell them. Then tell an adult who loves them too. God gave us people because we need them and they need us.