“Showing, Rather Than Telling”

There is a rule in the writing world, a basic rule:  “Show, don’t tell.”

It seems like no matter what it is we do, God can use it to teach us.  If you jog, He can use it to teach you.  If you paint, He can use it to teach you.  If you are a mechanic, He can use it to teach you.  If you are a cook, He can use it to teach you.  Running the household?  He can use it to teach you.   We can ask God into what ever it is we are doing and He will use it to teach us something.  When I was younger, I assumed the only times I could learn from  God was when I was in church or Bible study.  I did not fully realize that I could ask Him into any situation.  Sometimes, I did not have to ask, He is so trustworthy, He would just make His presence known.

Here is a  lesson He has used from my writing life, writing is something I do daily.   It is to keep my mouth shut and show people how much they mean to me, how much I love them.  It is that simple. Show them, rather than tell them.

It is a powerful and persuasive thing to be around someone who welcomes you just as you are.  God is like that with us and wants us to be like that with each other.  1 John 4:19

When people feel loved and not condemned, trust is built and curiosity is created where they will even ask you about things, a great opening to speak of God and His love of the world.  I admit, it is tempting to preach to them, tempting to smack them up.  It is so easy to forget how far I have come, so easy to be critical when it comes to someone else’s life.  It is good for me to remember not to hold up other people’s sins and mistakes.  I, too, have failed the purity test.

It’s about getting our friends and family on the right side of this battle we are in … and for me it’s about showing rather than telling.  It’s about letting the Holy Spirit do the convicting and I do the loving.