My sister and I have a great relationship. She is my best friend. It works really well because we couldn’t be more different.

Growing up, I remember a situation in high school where some random girl was saying bad things about me. She barely knew me, I never even talked to her, yet she was telling people horrible things about me. I always take these things so personally and if there is one thing in this world I hate, it’s people who are upset with me. So I was hurting pretty bad.

My little sister got wind of this and knew her big sister was hurting, but she also knew I would do nothing about it.

So what did she do? She punched the girl in the face and told this girl to leave her sister alone 😅

My sister was suspended from school for her actions, but she still to this day says she doesn’t regret anything, because when her sister hurts, she hurts. I become overwhelmed at the thought of my actions hurting someone else, she gets overwhelmed at the thought of someone elses actions hurting someone else. We both just need to learn how to channel these emotions in a way that honors God.

As adults, we don’t get into fist fights for each other, but not much has changed. In our conversations, I’m the one who deeply and painfully feels the negativity in others, and my sister wants to fix it for me. But she can’t, and she shouldn’t. 

A few minutes ago, I was listening to worship music and an older song came on and these words spoke to me. I’d heard this song a million times before, but today, they revealed truth about this whole thing with my sister and I.

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity.

This world is full of people who hurt, and more importantly, it’s full of people who need to hear the cleansing truth of God’s gospel. 

I feel this deep down in my bones. When I watch the news, I get excited knowing God’s story is rapidly unfolding in real time. But at the same time, I lose sleep praying and pleading with God for the people around me who don’t know Him. 

So how can we take these emotional shortcomings and use them for His Kingdoms cause?

We need to recognize how we can take our emotions, experiences and our weaknesses and turn them into the very thing that drive us to be “fishers of men”

Jesus says in Mark 16:15,

 “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation”

He commanded this of us knowing that it would look different for each one of us. I can cry and pray quietly in my bed, pleading for those people heavy on my heart. My sister can easily call people out when they are in the wrong. The things that got us into trouble as kids have been the traits God has been molding and refining in us to be used for His good works.

“Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20

My challenge for you today is to look around you with urgency. Look beyond the things that annoy you about people. Look around the things that people say that hurt you. And look at the soul of the person God put in your life. Try to see the aching heart inside of the person that hurts you. Look for the brokenness in the person who doesn’t notice you. Ask God to see them as He sees them.

And most importantly, remember that you might be a character in the dramatic story that is leading that person to salvation. Take that responsibility seriously. Ache for their soul, pray for them and share what God has done for you.