2:121 – You Don’t Have To Intervene Every Time

#faithbites #faithjourney intervene

You may remember that one if my Lenten promises was to give up commenting on political posts and try to change people’s minds. I wasn’t perfect but I did it. Over time, I learned that I could scroll past. It wasn’t my duty to have to try and change everyone’s minds. In fact, by not doing it, I began to feel better about my life, my country, and my relationships.

That being said, I’m not withdrawing from politics or commenting but being much more selective in how I engage.

Life is like that. While we are called to help others and do good works, we have to know where our skills are most needed and when God wants us to intervene. As with all of God’s plans, we have to be open and listen to what he’s telling us.

Scripture

• In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven – Matthew 5:16
• Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. – Proverbs 3:27

Reflection

You may be wondering why I selected these two verses as they are both about direct intervention. The key in the Gospel of St Matthew is to let our light shine so they can see good works. If we are forcing our beliefs on others and trying to forcibly change their minds, we are not letting our light shine. We are trying to catch bees with vinegar. Our light is shown by our works and then others will see it, not by our anger or aggression but love.

In Proverbs, we do not without good when it is in our power to do so. Basically, if someone isn’t ready to change or see another point of view, it isn’t in our power. We can try to force it but the results will not be good.

For me, while I’ve refrained from 95% of the replies I used to do, I have been replying only to a couple of people. The reason is I feel I can reach them as they have reached out to me. We still disagree but we do it with love and respect. Similiar to Jesus, we need to start small and spread the word to those willing. Then, it will spread. It may not be on the timeline we want, bit shouting at and to the masses to see what sticks can be a waste of energy and effort.

While my promise is over, I have learned much and have a greater appreciation for how God wants me to intervene.

Charge

Are you trying to change everyone’s opinion by forcing your opinion on them or battling with facts they aren’t ready for? Try a new approach. Be truly interested in them, love them, and see how God words through you. This is a tough challenge but with God, you can do it.

Prayer

Gracious Lord, we live in a very polarized world. Help all of us to be better communicators. Give us tack and timing to share our thoughts with others and help educate them on your word and your plan. Give us the strength to know when to push and when to wait. Through you, we can inact change.