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“I used to want to fix people, but now I just want to be with them.”

A thought by Bob Goff, (2012-05-01) from his book, Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Do you want to fix people?  Maybe you went into your marriage with an “I can fix them” instead of just loving them attitude.  No one want that, they just want to be loved for who they are.  What that seems to be is an “I’m better than you” way of looking at people.  And that too many times is easy for those of us who are Christians to look at those who aren’t.  That is not a good thing.

I love the story that Bob shares here in his book about his being accepted by his Young Life leader rather than giving him advice.  And that can really be tough to do.  I mean I know how to fix you but it isn’t what I know that makes the difference but it is what I do.  This is what love, acceptance and forgiveness is all about. 

The New Testament talks a lot about fellowship.  And I like what someone said, “Fellowship is two people in a ship or a small boat in a journey together"  We’re in it together. 

Bob says “Jesus is sometimes called Immanuel—“God with us.” I think that’s what God had in mind, for Jesus to be present, to just be with us. It’s also what He has in mind for us when it comes to other people. The world can make you think that love can be picked up at a garage sale or enveloped in a Hallmark card. But the kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence. It’s a love that operates more like a sign language than being spoken outright.”

We have to sacrifice our ego that says “I know what to do” and to just be there with love acceptance and forgiveness. 

I checked in today on Foursquare to the Starbucks that I go to here in Pasadena for the 439th time.  I have a lot of very special friends there.  I’m not trying to fix them.  I‘m just wanting to be with them.  Just today the security guard at a bank real close with whom I sit with for at least a half an hour 6 days a week told me how much he appreciates the fact that he has been able to do that.  That I have made a difference in his life.  And I told him that he has done the same to me.  Just being there makes a difference.

So who are your trying to fix?  How are they handling it?  Maybe you need to stop working so hard and just be there.

So why not start doing that today?

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