The Right Tool For The Job

Several months ago, both of my children, at separate times, approached me about a situation in their life dealing with an acquaintance. Each of them had a relationship where someone was doing something that was annoying them. I remember asking each of them at the time, "Is this thing something worth losing a friendship over, or is it something you can just put behind you?" Both thought about that question and decided the annoyance was not worth losing a friendship over and moved on in love.

See, I'm pretty sure in friendships - and marriages for that matter - Satan tries to bring bubbly little annoyances to the surface to see if they will boil over in an effort to destroy those relationships. Correction: I'm not pretty sure, I'm certain of it. How many times in your life have things happened where someone says or does something that just drives you crazy? Then you notice something else, and something else, to the point where you wonder why you've even associated with this person at all.

Recently I commented to a co-worker about someone who did something I was frustrated with. She said to me, "Don't you let Satan use you as a tool." That was all she said. No empathy. No sympathy. No "That's terrible, so what are you gonna do about it?" Just one deeply profound sentence. And I realized I was going through the same thing my children had talked about. I was being used as a tool of destruction. I went home that night and prayed God would help me put that ridiculous thing behind me to focus on the beautiful, positive things.

I have lost relationships in the past by being used as a tool, or being on the receiving end of another being used as such. Was it worth it? Christ said the second greatest commandment was to love our neighbors as ourselves. He was quoting something God told Moses back in Lev. 19:18. I think we as Christians, need to access situations before letting them get legs of destruction. Whatever little thing is bothering you, is it worth losing a friend or even acquaintance over? It may be this very person is going to team up with you to do great things for Jesus or you may be doing so already, and Satan just won't have that. Learn to see as Christ sees. Learn to listen as He listens. Forgive as He forgives. Love as He loves.

Don't allow yourself to be a tool ... unless - as it says in 1 Thess. 5:11 - it's one of grace for Christ in building one another up. Heaven knows this world could use a whole toolbox full of those.

2 Cor. 13:11 "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."