Hall Monitor

Remember back in the day when we had to deal with hall monitors? These were the students that were liked by very few...Ha. Because they roamed the halls with their little laminated badge of authority and ruined all of our fun.

They would stop what was going on or just report back to the teachers what was happening. 

As much as we didn’t like this person when we were in school...we have become them. Maybe even worse than you ever realized. We are constantly pointing out what others are doing wrong and trying to tell people they need to up their standard of living. 

But if we are being honest, we don’t even live up to the standard of living we tell others that they should. 

I read this today... 

“When we make ourselves the hall monitor of other people’s behavior, we risk having approval become more important than Jesus’ love.“ - Bob Goff

Now, let me say something really quick...for some of you, you just saw the name “Jesus” and you love it. But for some reading this, you may not believe like myself or others believe, and that is totally cool. Don’t shut me down. Be open to where I’m going with this. :) 

When we spend our time correcting other people, we risk having approval be more important that Jesus’ love. Or just love in general.

When we constantly feel judged by others, we tend to either withdrawal or start jumping through hoops. When we jump through hoops, on the outside it looks like we are getting better, but we aren’t. We are super miserable because it’s all an act. 

Why did I write this blog? Because I am so sick of people claiming to love people, when really, you don’t!  

I’m sick of watching some churches claim they love people, yet make people feel really judged or unwelcome when they walk in. 

I’m sick of broken people telling other broken people how broken they are! 

What if we just started loving one another? What if we just started accepting others for the way they are? 

Did you know that for me, God has called me to love people, not fix them. The Holy Spirit takes care of the fixing. Too many people have it backwards....they think that God “needs” them to help someone. But come on, God doesn’t need us! He’s God! He chooses to let us be a part of the life change people experience because He wants to, not because He has to.

Want to do know how you’re doing with this whole love thing? Here are some questions to consider... 

#1 - Is everyone you spend time with just like you? 

If this is true about you, you may or may not even realize how you close people off from you that don’t “meet your standard.” I used to be like this when I was a pastor. All of my friends were pastors. All of my friends were my volunteers. Everyone I hung out with was just like me. 

And can I be super honest for a second?  I missed having friends that were wheels off crazy (and I know that me saying that is judging them, I get it, it’s just where I was) and in totally different places in life from me. Because I desperately need people around me that aren’t like me. It’s those people that challenge me. It’s those people that teach me new things. It’s those people that help me see something from a brand new perspective. And sadly, it’s “those people” that are the most loving and forgiving. Not the “church people.”

Expand your influence. Start allowing people in, that on the outside or the inside are different than you. 

#2 - What kind of conversations are you having? 

The conversations we have with people reveal everything about ourselves. Think back over the last couple weeks...do you notice that you do a lot of “teaching” or do you do more listening? Do you speak about things from a position of you know it all? Or are you willing to admit you don’t have all the answers?

Are you asking questions? Most people are pretending to listen while waiting for their chance to talk.  Make a list of fun questions to ask other people. Get genuinely interested in others. Find out what their passions are. Find out what makes them tick. Ask about their family. Get involved. When you do this...something will happen; you will realize you have more in common with people “not like you” than you think. It’s really cool!

#3 - Do you have a secret hierarchy of sin? 

Here’s what I mean by that...do you tend to find yourself thinking...man, they are way worse off than me. Or, at least I’m not doing (blank). In the Bible, sin is sin. Now, there are varying consequences that come with different sins. But the act of sinning is the same across the board. Sin separates us from God. Period. So, Jesus’ grace forgives ALL OF THEM. Not some of them. 

Stop thinking you are better than someone because you sin differently than they do. That’s not what Jesus did. He met people where they were. He engaged them in their darkest moments. He didn’t make them clean themselves off first. He loved them through their “stuff.”  Heck, He loves me through “my stuff” every single day!

How would our world change if we started doing the same. Life is too short to be the “hall monitor” of people’s lives and behaviors. Let’s put our pointer fingers away and start opening our hand up so they have something to grab onto.

I love you guys so much. Thank you for reading my blog. It truly means the world to me. If this made an impact in your life or got you thinking differently, please like it, comment on it and share it. Thank you so much! :)