When we picked our dog, Kairo, out of a litter of 12 puppies, he was the cutest little ball of fluff you could ever imagine. Today Kairo is over 100 lbs and still thinking he's a lapdog. He definitely went through some major changes over the course of just a few months, and I remember having all kinds of conflicting feelings as it happened.
He was so soft and cuddly as a puppy, and I found myself not wanting him to outgrow that. Then, when he got a little bigger, one of his floppy little ears boinged straight up in the air. He looked ridiculous, but even so I was secretly hoping that his other little ear would stay floppy. (He's a dog... he wouldn't know he looked ridiculous!) Alas, a month or so later, the other one was pointing straight up, too. And until he grew into those gigantic ears, he actually looked a bit like a donkey.
Looking back, I realize that because I was grieving the loss of my cute little puppy, I was totally missing an astounding transformation that was taking place right before my very eyes. Over the course of a year's time, Kairo became what others have referred to as a "magnificent beast". People literally stop us on the street, sometimes pulling over in their cars, to tell us what a regal looking dog he is!
And you know what? It's true! Kairo really is an amazing, kingly-looking dog. He is 1/2 German Shepherd and 1/2 Malamute, with a little bit of wolf mixed in there somewhere and he somehow got on the receiving end of an incredible mix of all those attributes. We can hardly remember the little puppy we brought home, because we had him such a short time. But this incredibly handsome beast we have now? He's got our hearts!
Now, missing the transformation of a dog is one thing, but how many times have I missed the transformation God is doing in the lives of people? Does it seem like we are sometimes inclined to put people in a box and want them to stay there? We aren't always comfortable with change, especially during the "awkward stages".
I remember a friend of mine that had some struggles in a certain area of her life. She had struggled with these issues for as long as we had known her. We prayed for her, we counseled with her, we tried to be good friends to her. But the truth is, we got so used to the fact that that's the way she was, that we totally missed it when she grew out of it. God had really done some things in her heart . . . some real healing had taken place. And we were still treating her like the "needy one" when she was more than ready to be reaching out to others.
Other times, it seems we purposely try to keep people in their place. We know you, we know your struggles, we know all your shortcomings so we're going to put limits on what you can do. Now, certainly we need to be aware of where people are at any given time. We can't have them ministering in areas they probably shouldn't be. But my point is, it's never a done-deal. We need to keep our eyes open for the transformations! And even more, we need to keep our ears and hearts open to God in case He wants us to be a part of it!
Putting people in a box and leaving them there is like writing them off. This is who you are, and this is where you belong. It's certainly the easiest thing to do, but I don't think it would fall under the category of laying your life down for your brethren. If people are satisfied with what they are doing and feel that they are fulfilling their purposes for God, then by all means rejoice with them that they've found their place! But if we see that they want to be more, that they are longing to grow, that they are longing for change in their lives, then we need to be seeking God to see if there is a way we can help!
There may be times that we would rather things stay as they are. There may even be times that we LIKE people better the way they are. Maybe we don't WANT their ears to boing up. But God knows what He's doing in the lives of His people. And if we're serious about building the church, this is what it's all about. Building people.
Keep your eyes open for the transformations . . . and join in wherever you can. When all is said and done, you may be amazed at how regal they look!
1 comment:
I definately agree! I think we group people a lot more than we even realize. I think we see people and that's how they are and that's how they're going to stay. Whether it's on purpose or not, I don't know. I think it just depends on the person or situtation. Sometimes I think it's because we feel so good about helping people that we don't want them to change. I think we do it with ourselves too. We think we are one way and that we're never going to change. And other people may see big changes in us. Good blog momma! ~~Rachel~~
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