Mean People Suck

This weekend two very selfish people broke my sister's heart. Her ex-boyfriend Jason betrayed her by having a girlfriend on the side, and Kev's best friend somehow made the situation all about her and shut Kevyn down. After traveling to Phoenix to spend the weekend with a discouraged and disheartened Kevyn, all I could think is that "mean people suck". Kevyn is a very loyal and selfless friend, which are such honorable qualities in a companion, and unfortunately the people around her returned her love with selfishness. I do not want to make this situation about me because it's not, it's about my broken-hearted sister, but I know what Kevyn is going through.

One of the most awful parts about walking this sinful earth is that we are bound to be wounded. The imperfect beings that we are surrounded by are just as selfish as we are. And even when we seek to be honoring and loving to those around us, we each fall short. As I have mentioned before, it is so easy to make things about ourselves because we live in our own head 24/7 and our own emotions and thoughts are so real to us. Often we forget or fail to see what matters most is caring about others, stepping outside of ourselves and taking care of those in need.

Kevyn was deeply wounded by the selfishness of others this weekend. It left her with a sense of hopelessness and weariness. Her pain so shielded her eyes from good that she wondered what joy there would be in returning to everyday tasks. What a toll that takes on her soul and on the souls of those who care for Kevyn.

The amazing gift for those outside of the situation is that we are able to see that God has a plan. In the midst of pain and sorrow, I believe it's sometimes too difficult for anyone in the experience to see, including Kevyn. But I do believe that Jesus is using these mean people to continue to cultivate a faithfulness and loyalty in my sister that will make her an even better friend to those who come along. Kevyn's unique experiences allow her to walk alongside so many others that the rest of us can't even begin to relate to. My sister has a gift and Jesus is just honing that gift.

In this book I've been reading (The Bait of Satan...to name drop one more time), the author says that the sign of true maturity is when we withstand offense and allow it to strengthen us. In the imperfections of others, God wants to cultivate a truer you. It is in the living through, the dealing with and the mending of the offense that God reveals more of Himself in us. "Love forgets wrongs so that there is hope for the future." I pray Kevyn will find this hope because I know she has so much to live for and Jesus has so much in store for her life.

So while "mean people suck", and they truly do, it would be a shame to let the "mean people suck" the life and hope out of us. That gives them too much power; it allows them to win. Thus I hope that as Jesus continues to comfort Kevyn and lift her out of sorrow that she would have eyes to see the hope, the love that can be wrought out of mean people. The hope lies not in those people who have hurt her, but in herself and the gorgeous creation God is making her to be.