I want to encourage you today to believe the best of every person.
You will have opportunity to see the faults in others and therefore, it’s inevitable that you will be disappointed in the actions (or inaction) of people. This is especially true when it’s family or someone you’ve developed a close relationship with, but…
Never set your eyes on the faults of man.
The Bible encourages us to “Set [our] mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). Actually, I’m being nice by saying the Bible encourages us to do this… actually, this is an instruction, intended for our advantage.
Remember, God is love, so although He doesn’t rejoice at iniquity (wrong-doing), He does look at us through a lens of potential. And that’s what we must do too. None of us have arrived or are where we need to be spiritually, but we’re also not where we used to be. This is the grace and understanding we need to give to others.
I live in a small town and it’s very easy to hear through the grapevine other people’s business. But no matter what I’ve heard, when I see someone I’ve heard something negative about, I remind myself how my life was changed in an instant because of an encounter with God– and maybe they had an encounter with God last night, so it’s my job to believe the best.
And this is God’s heart toward every person– so we should give grace.
“Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]” (1 Corinthians 13:7, AMP).
I know this can be hard. But instead of judging, getting angry and caught up in sin yourself, why not pray for them to have an encounter with God? Ask God to open the eyes of their understanding. Pray for His goodness and mercy to invade their life. This is what God did for you and I. This is what God desires for every person.
Let’s believe the best.
So refuse to judge outwardly. Instead, tap into love. Sadly, hurting people hurt people. But let’s not be the ones perpetuating the problem. Instead, let’s become missionaries of love (even from afar) by praying for their well-being. When we choose to believe the best, it’s easy to pray. And even easier to let God’s love lead us.
