Hard Advice
She knew that I loved her and wanted what was best for her
Reference: The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5 NIV)
Explore: A few years ago my friend started going out with a guy who really wasn’t any good for her. While she felt loved, we could see that he was not the best guy for her.
He didn’t make an effort with her friends, she was always the one who went to visit him and he didn’t seem to appreciate the important things about my friend. The tough question was, should we speak to her about it?
Really, she was an adult and could make her own decisions. However, we loved her and we wanted what was best for her.
In the end, I made the hard call and I shared my concerns about her new boyfriend. I tried to be as kind as I could be towards this new guy, but also wanted to explain to her that she was worthy of much more.
Fortunately, my friend was open to hearing what I had to say. She knew that I loved her and wanted what was best for her, so she was open to my opinion.
Application: Giving people guidance on how to live is tough. No one is perfect, and so, we can only share out of our own imperfection.
However, if we show love first and give advice second, then people will know that we are only trying to help. Advice needs to be given carefully and in love, and even then it is hard to handle.
Just because people don’t like to be corrected doesn’t mean we shy away from it. It means we just have to tread carefully when we are the ones sharing our thoughts.
Prayer: Lord, we never get everything right. Help us to be open to correction and discerning with guidance. Amen.
Is there an area in your life that needs correction, but you are too protective of it?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.