I truly believe God has His hands in every moment of our lives to guide us where we are today and has strategically placed certain individuals and situations along the road to help lead us where we need to go. Whether those persons/ situations had a positive or negative impact, their presence most likely shaped our thoughts, motivations, and inclinations toward the decisions that resulted in where we are. We should be thankful for those persons’ impact, and capitalize on their lessons to become the individuals God created us to be.

When we meet people who lift us up, we should be thankful for them. The reason they make us feel good about ourselves is because they choose to overlook our faults and instead focus on God’s presence within us. Ultimately, they choose to love us!

When we meet people who let us down and make us feel that “pit in our stomach” feeling, we should also be thankful for them. Their presence is an intrinsic reminder that our spirits are strong. By not loving us, they leave us feeling weak and make us feel conviction for sin, both theirs and perhaps even our own. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is an indicator that we are very close to God!

2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us of this. God promises us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Whether we encounter people that love or do not love us, there is a sure-safe method we can follow to interact them. It is something I came up with while reflecting on Mother Teresa’s example. Mother Teresa lived a life loving without judging, trying to change, or convert others. She fed the Hindus living in India and it was not by her pressing nature that people were converted; it was because of the compassion she showed them.

Like Mother Teresa, we should do the same. We need to quit judging people for their personal faults and instead, try to focus on their good. We need to love without judging. We need to hate only sin and not the sinner.