This Monday, Jessi and I were driving to South Carolina and on the way there we listened to a book. The author raised the question of are people doing the best they can? My wife hit a pause and we started answering this questions for ourselves. It’s not a simple answer, so I figured writing it out should help out!
On one side I say yes! I remember making countless mistakes, because I honestly didn’t know any better. Take for example being jugemental. I used to look down on people in thoughts and frequently words. That’s a good thing right? I was helping them become better! Except, that I didn’t realize until my mid thirties that I was acting much like my abusive grandfather without even knowing it!
On the flip side, if I say that everyone is doing best they can, then I’m essentially saying that there’s no free will. We are just victims of our circumstances and God just picks his favorites to get awakened every now and then.
That can’t be true.
How do I reconcile the two?
I’d say viewing people as doing the best they can helps me deal with my stress reactions. Whenever someone upsets me by doing something that I perceive as wrong. Whether true or not. It helps me to remain calm rather than just cut them down with judgement.
Having said that once I am out of the stress mode, I need to remind myself that we are all sinners and we all can do better. The best way to learn is to teach. I need to make sure that my behaviors are the best reflections of God’s love for me.
For if my actions teach others about God’s love … then I definitely know that I am doing the best I can!
In your opinion, are people doing the best they can? How is the answer to this question helping you to be a better ambassador of Christ?
Don’t know how to get started? As a man, you are very good at solving problems with your mind. However, when your romantic relationships suffer or you don’t feel fulfilled at work … you can’t solve these types of problems by logic alone. That’s because your locked up heart is sabotaging you!
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