Stop making other people your source

[memoriesbymichelle]

MISSION » Your Heart

This was the sermon from church this past Sunday. One of the best I've heard in awhile. It is about the condition of our hearts and how we pour into other people like our spouse, children, family etc, and then we expect them to pour back into us, but we shouldn't expect that. Our source should be God and that is who should be pouring into and out of us. I think alot of us do think that if we give and give and give, that whoever we are giving to is somehow obligated to give back to us and we should re-think that IMO. When our source isn't God, then people will suck the life out of us, and that's when we get frustrated, and angry, and bitter and nothing good comes of that. But if we let God be our source, then we can freely pour into the lives of those we love or come into contact with without expectation from them because they are not capable, they are just like us. Then we can truly be free.

 

[Etheri]

I agree, I must learn to do all things for the glory of God, not my glory...

 

[dayhiker]

Maybe its just the people I've been around the last couple of years, but I've been receiving as much love as I give. About half of my friends now aren't church people tho most of those used to go to church at one time. Its kinda confusing as I was taught all my life that Christians were the only ones who really knew how to love because we had the love of God in our heart.

Will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

even though people are now pouring into your life as well, YOU are not expecting them to and that is the difference. It's like when parents make their kids their whole life and then don't know what to do when their grown and worse yet, get angry when the kids don't want to do what the parent wants them to anymore.

And unfortunately us Christians are human just like the rest of the world. Maybe some think we "should" know how to love better, but reality says that is not always true or even almost always.

 

[dayhiker]

That's a good point Michelle, We can't expect. I've not expected anything from people for a long time. I try to give to others and I try to accept what is given to me. To me its a two way street. If we expect to give someone has to receive. Everyone can't be gives. I think someone who just receives is as wrong as someone who just gives. So I give and I accept. That seems to work the best from what I can see.

 

[miss-a]

That was an excellent message. Thanks so much for sharing it!

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

That was an excellent message. Thanks so much for sharing it!

glad you enjoyed it. It has really struck a chord with me. I guess especially since I have teenagers and sometimes they can be so ungrateful and don't seem to see the sacrifice I make for them when they want something. My younger son blames me for everything in his life. I cannot expect them to pour back into me, God has to be my source or I will literally die.