Be Care Full!

I wanted to address something that struck me the other day and it’s not something that we talk about much but the crazy thing is that it hits right in the heart of our human nature.  I’m talking about our “other side” – the side of us that comes out when we find out something about another person that changes our perception of them.  Not following?

Let me share an example:

Amy and I were negotiating a rather large purchase the other day with a man who was selling the “thing” we wanted.  We postured ourselves and held an interest but not so much that it seemed obvious that we desperately wanted the item.  We were nice but kept up a “Us vs. Him” attitude and we had a pretty good poker face going until…

Until we found out that the man’s young wife had recently passed away from breast cancer and left him with two young little girls under the age of 11.

It was at that very moment that our entire demeanor, posture and “front” was completely wiped out and all we wanted to do from that moment on was comfort the man and his children. We had nothing but complete compassion in our hearts for this man.

 Our transformation was what struck me!

How one minute we looked at this man merely as a seller of an object with little emotion and then in the very next minute we wanted to hug him and his kids with the love and comfort of an old friend or family member.

It was really eye opening!  Our initial interaction was so very human of us and so un-Christlike.

What hit me was that I realized that I actually show my human side much more than I should.  I act so human so much of the time and every once in a while I show my good side and act a little like Jesus.  I’ve been bothered by that notion.

I know that none of us can possibly be like Jesus all of the time but I felt very convicted that I had approached this particular relationship without an ounce of Jesus in mind.  It’s made me want to evaluate that part of me more and try to merge my two sides so that there is just one side of me – the side that looks more like Jesus.

Think about your second side the next time you interact with people.  Think about the two sides of you and then think about which side you want people to see. If you are a Christ follower then you should do your best to show that side!

Thanks for letting me be transparent today. I think I’ll go show my good side to someone today.

Brian