You’ll Find What You’re Looking For
Read The Daily:
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” – 1 Corinthians 13:6
Post by Johnda Carpenter
I am definitely a glass half full person who loves the movie Pollyanna. If you’ve never seen that movie you probably shouldn’t watch it because it’s from the 60’s and you’ll realize what a dork I am! However, the idea is that you have to look for the good in people! If you look for the bad…you will find it and if you look for the good… you will still find it!
Also, I’m a woman so I am allowed to call this out! (If a man wrote this, then we should slap them.) Stop trying to make a husband, or any human for that matter, behave the way we want them to. All people are different, especially men and women. Therefore, they aren’t going to react or handle things the way we would. So stop looking at them with anger and disappointment in how they handle life and situations and try to find the good in how they try to do things! And in case you missed it, here is my favorite story from the message!
Two young families move into a new town, one after the other. The first stops to ask an old couple what the town is like. “Well,” the couple replies, “what was your last town like?” The young family smiles and says, “It was great! Friendly people, great schools, fun neighborhood.” The old couple nods and says, “Then you’ll love it here—it’s the same.” A few hours later, the second family rolls in and asks the same question. “What was your last town like?” the second couple grumbles, “Terrible neighbors, unfriendly people, bad schools.” And again, the old couple responds, “That’s exactly what this town is like.”
The moral? You’ll always find what you’re looking for. Especially in relationships. If you go looking for what’s wrong with someone, you’ll find it. If you go looking for disappointment, you’ll see it everywhere. But love doesn’t scan the room for what’s missing—it celebrates what’s present. Love doesn’t obsess over shortcomings—it looks for the truth, the good, the redeemable. What you choose to see in someone often says more about your own heart than theirs. You don’t need perfect people to experience joy in relationships. You need a better lens. One that’s tinted with grace, not criticism. Today, ask yourself—what have I been looking for in the people around me? And more importantly, what do I want to start seeing instead?
Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.
Read The New Testament In A Year
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. Matthew 7:1-14
Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:13-25