Make Him Smile

With No-Parameters, Tuesday nights are our ladies’ Bible Exploration class. It’s a time of iron sharpening iron and it’s beautiful and refreshing! Tonight’s time was no different, beyond the extra sweetness that took place.

We started off praying for the people who were heavy on our hearts, personally. Then we dove into Matthew 12:33-36. Please go read it.

This conversation took us to the last two days, 11/14 & 11/15, in Mr. Oswald Chambers’ devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. Which further pointed us to the fact that God is relational and if we really want to walk with Him, we need to do this, intentionally, every day!

Finally, we prayed for one of the ladies. This prayer request was unusual in that it required a level of vulnerability it has taken nearly two months of Tuesdays to get to. I had told them, in reference to the words we do or don’t speak, that good communication requires vulnerability. If you can’t dare to be vulnerable with the person you wish to communicate with, no understanding or mutual respect will be reached.

I shared that when we wish other people would tell us if we do or say something that hurts them or offends them, then we have to lead by example. We have to do to others what we wish they would do to us.

If we wish people would trust us and confide in us, if we want people to become friends, then we have to do those very things. We have to learn to trust, confide, and befriend. And, though I didn’t say this to them, because it’s only now occurring to me, the best Teacher is Jesus. He didn’t trust in man, He trusted in His Father. He confided in man because He trusted His Father and confided in Him knowing He was always safe in the Father. He befriended man because His Father was His best friend.

The truth is, people will hurt us. But that hurt is ok because Jesus will heal us. That pain serves a purpose because it brings us back to Him. When we fully grasp this concept it opens the door for us to love people, really love them, like He does. He knows what’s in man. We should too since we are a part of mankind. And, if we have examined our own hearts to see what resides there, it should be no surprise what resides within another’s.

Knowing these things empowers vulnerability because you can readily grasp what David meant by Psalm 56:11… What can man do to me? When God is on your side who can stand against? These are powerful, life-giving words! Words that set us free from the concern of the praise of men. Words that liberate us from worrying about what other people think.

You have an audience of One, dear friends! This means you can make Him smile by loving your neighbor as you love yourself!