“You are a walking ministry. See through people’s hurt and find their need.”

By Misty Strieff Prine

“Should you ever find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, jealousy, lies and insecurities…don’t be mad. Remember things could be worse: You could be them.” Unknown.

Have you ever found yourself saying, "I just can't understand why people treat people the way they do" and then you get the response "Well, not everyone was raised like you." It's such a sad situation to know that so many people have faced such hard lives. You are not born with bitterness, jealousy, insecurities or the ability to lie. All those emotions are learned and are gained by experiencing tough situations in life. I have not had a bad life by any means, but I have faced extremely tough situations. I am very blessed to have a huge support group in my mom, dad, brother, husband, and children. Unfortunately, today, many have no one to hold their hand physically throughout their toughest of days let alone be there to lend a helping hand and remind them that everything is going to be alright.

Sadly, those very people have no one in their inner circle to witness to them about the love of Christ during those dark and lonely valleys they walk through. They have no one that seems to care about them enough to tell them they will pray for them or better yet, pray WITH them. That is why it is so very important to take a deep breath when those people hurt us by showing jealousy, bitterness and resentment and love them through it. Is it going to be easy? Absolutely not. Is it going to be worth it to love them and pray for them no matter how bad they treat you? Absolutely! That is why it is important to remember what it says in 1 Peter 3:19: "Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing." Being a better person during a tough situation brings forth more blessings than you could ever possibly imagine. The moment that you allow people who have unfortunately been raised in broken homes and have been subjected to repeated broken situations steal your joy and make you start believing that YOU have a bad life...you have done something terribly wrong. You allowed their bad life and tough circumstances to steal your joy that God worked so hard for you to have. We have to be mindful that we don't know what others are facing in their lives and that their negative treatment of others is probably their own cry for help. It just takes a strong person to see through the anger to see the need for love and prayer for that person.

We are a walking ministry. People need the Lord more than ever today!