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Tough love
'Whoever says to the guilty, 'You are innocent' peoples will curse ...' Proverbs 24:24
Have you ever lied to protect the reputation of someone you love, covered up for a mate or rushed in to 'help' without being asked? We're not talking about acts of compassion where help is genuinely needed here, but we're talking about a destructive kind of helping. It's natural to want to protect someone you love from the painful consequences of their actions. But by letting them off the hook you might end up hurting them more, according to the Bible.
Sometimes, people need to hit rock bottom before they'll let God help them back up; so you stepping in may not be helping in the long run. You may know the story of the prodigal son; he ended up in a pigsty before he got serious about his sin problem. His dad didn't step in and interfere though. Is that because he didn't care? No, of course not. It was tough for him to stand by and watch (it's called 'tough love' for a reason).
When the son 'came to his senses, he said '..."here I am starving to death! I will ... go back to my father and say ... I have sinned"' (Luke 15:17-18). As a result of not being 'helped out' too early, his life was so much better in the end, and so were his relationships.
So maybe you need to back off, and place your loved one into God's hands. He loves them even more than you do.
written by Bob Gass
'Whoever says to the guilty, 'You are innocent' peoples will curse ...' Proverbs 24:24
Have you ever lied to protect the reputation of someone you love, covered up for a mate or rushed in to 'help' without being asked? We're not talking about acts of compassion where help is genuinely needed here, but we're talking about a destructive kind of helping. It's natural to want to protect someone you love from the painful consequences of their actions. But by letting them off the hook you might end up hurting them more, according to the Bible.
Sometimes, people need to hit rock bottom before they'll let God help them back up; so you stepping in may not be helping in the long run. You may know the story of the prodigal son; he ended up in a pigsty before he got serious about his sin problem. His dad didn't step in and interfere though. Is that because he didn't care? No, of course not. It was tough for him to stand by and watch (it's called 'tough love' for a reason).
When the son 'came to his senses, he said '..."here I am starving to death! I will ... go back to my father and say ... I have sinned"' (Luke 15:17-18). As a result of not being 'helped out' too early, his life was so much better in the end, and so were his relationships.
So maybe you need to back off, and place your loved one into God's hands. He loves them even more than you do.
written by Bob Gass
