October 10, 2024 Devo

“Hurting people hurt people…and are themselves easily hurt.” That quote from a John Maxwell video that my staff and I watched a month or two ago can really help you deal more effectively with people if you can take it to heart. We often take people’s behavior at face value, rather than asking the deeper question of why they might be acting the way they do. When people are sharp in their tone, angry in their demeanor, or harsh in the way they come across, we often label them as “rude” or “mean.” While that may describe how they are acting, it doesn’t take into consideration the “why.” So, we react to the behavior, rather than the catalyst for what may be causing it.
The same is true when we come across someone who has a sensitive nature. They take things the wrong way. They hear suggestions as criticism. They hear advice as someone telling them they’re stupid. People like this will often either react with an accusation of malicious intentions, or they will pull away, isolate, or seek consolation with others as to how they feel they’ve been mistreated. Often the ones who hurt them react with great surprise as to how their actions or words were taken. So they’ll respond with accusations of their own, saying the person is being “childish” or “overly sensitive.”
Contrast those responses to how Jesus viewed the crowds. “He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless.” Jesus had crowds of hurting people coming toward Him. They were probably pushing, shoving, and yelling at each other for fear that they would miss out on Jesus helping them. But Jesus didn’t get lost in their behavior. He didn’t expect hurting people to act any other way. Notice how He focused on what might be causing their behavior. “Confused.” “Helpless.” He knew they didn’t need a sermon in how to act. They needed understanding. They needed someone to try to feel what they might be feeling. They needed a shepherd, not a critic.
Let this verse help you this week. Those annoying, harsh people you deal with? There’s a story there. They’re hurting. Those people who take everything personally and tend to overreact? Yeah, they’re hurting, too. Ask God to give you His eyes and His heart as you deal with them. Try to see them as He did, and maybe you’ll be able to respond to their pain rather than react to their behavior. Instead of shooting the wounded, tenderly try to shepherd them a bit. Then, no matter how they respond, you’ll be a little more like Jesus. And we could ALL use a little more of that! That’s God’s Word for you today.