People are NOT Our Projects

Danielle Strickland once told me of an interaction with a "running friend" she had made. After developing a good relationship over time, and getting close to "winning" her new friend to Christ, out of the blue her friend asked her: "am I one of your 'projects?'" Danielle said it was a wake up call when she realized people are not "our projects."

What is it about us Christians that causes us to think we can make people our projects and not really care about them as friends (and/or people)? As if we can just toss them away once we use them (get them saved or whatever) and move on to the next project . . . when you begin to think about it that way, it feels really icky, doesn't it? I hope it feels icky, because if it doesn't, you're gonna need more help than this blog entry can provide!

I'm convinced we see ourselves as "better than" others. Especially those who aren't saved. In some "not-sure-how-we-get-there" thought process, we think it's okay to treat people like they're not people as long as it's in order to get them saved. Kinda like the end justifies the means.

Well, guess what?

Did you guess?

People are the most important priority we have. We will NEVER be justified using people to make us look good (to some imagined power over us), then tossing them aside and moving on to bigger and better things once we accomplish our "mission" on them.

Is that person your project? Take this test to find out:

1) Do you desire to hang out with the person and really get to know them?

2) Have you opened YOUR heart to them, as well as expect them to open up to you?

3) Do you really care about the person as a friend?

4) Do you still want to be their friend even if they don't "get saved?"

5) Do you see the person as more important than yourself (or your "ministry")?

6) Do you really listen to what the person has to say?

If you answered "NO" to any of these questions you might want to examine your intentions in this relationship.

People are our priority (as Jesus exemplified) and we should never climb over them to get even one rung higher on our way up the ladder.

Prayer: O God, please help me to see people as you do; to honor them and hold my relationship with them at the highest possible level. May I be a good witness to them, but may I just plain be a good friend- because I certainly won't be a good witness if I use them and drop them on my way by.

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PS: Here are all the wrong answers to the above questions:

1) I just want to use the person so I look like I'm a good Christian to everyone who may be looking. Maybe God'll give me a better situation in life for my next test.

2) I'm not ABOUT to actually open my heart to the person. I don't need anyone, after all!

3) As long as the person THINKS I'm being a friend and it looks good, I'm okay.

4) Are you kidding? If the person doesn't accept Jesus by Tuesday, I'm outta here (If they do, I'm outta here by Wednesday anyway)!

5) Actually, God has made me better than the person (by virtue of my job or giftings), so I have a completely different set of standards to live up to.

6) Huh? What did you say?