Spiritual Sponges 2
Due to a couple of questions regarding my last post I wanted to elaborate. I would never intentionally distance myself from someone who was seeking answers about Christ. However when it comes to someone who just wants to wallow in the mire I don’t get in with them. If we aren’t careful we can enable people and be part of their problem. We must use caution while expending our spiritual energy or we’ll use it up on people who only prove to waste it. It seems cruel to cut a selfish sponge off but what about the people I am not able to minister to because of all the time and energy I am spending with the selfish sponges. They get sacrificed in the name of compassion. Jesus didn’t chase after the rich young ruler He let him walk away. Always be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit but don’t chase after someone who only desires to wallow in the mire. Sometimes the most compassionate response is tough love!
Thanks Jimmy – that makes perfect sense. Tough love is one of the hardest things for me personally – and I know it’s the right thing to do too sometimes.
One more comment about tough love – I’ve experienced it personally and I needed it. It works. It does build character, and I’m thankful someone was strong enough to do that for me.
Cool….When you pour into someone’s life, and you don’t see any fruits, the natural transition would be to withdraw. But hopefully we are relying on power the Holy Spirit and not our natural tendencies. I think it is important to articulate the reason why you are withdrawing and we cannot fear their reaction. They are going to be mad and hurt. The impact of that conversation will have more meaning when they run out of people they can wear out. The biggest struggle for me is to discern the emotional level any particular bad sponge is at and address it at that level. Some may be ok with, “You are wearing me out, I cannot pour into until you wring out” others may be at a different emotional level and probably couldn’t handle such a direct, bold statement…..but there still needs to be a conversation.
Witnessing 101
Thank you for the encourgment on this! It makes since cause I have been on the side of tough love and i really respected my parents for doing it. I will continue to listen to the spirit and not go off my fleshly feelings
I agree “tough love” is hard to do and many times you will be viewed as cold and uncaring but we have to come to the point where we realize that we are just enabling that person to continue doing what they are doing and not helping them.