What God Does With Complicated People

How do you want people to respond if you offend them in some way? Say you lose your temper during a conversation with a loved one, break a promise to a friend, or say something snarky to a coworker. What would their ideal response be?

I can tell you what I’d want. First, communication about whatever the issue is. Don’t just get mad at me—talk to me. Second, I’d want understanding. There was surely a reason behind what I did, at least in my mind. Give me the benefit of the doubt rather than jumping to negative conclusions. Finally, and most importantly, I’d want grace. I’m only human, after all, and I’m not perfect.

Here’s the thing: I want that from other people when I fail—but do I give it to them when they fail? Or do I quickly jump to judgment and then to rejection?

Jesus famously said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). That includes choosing to offer the same mercy and grace to people around us that we would like for ourselves.

Remember, God did this for us first. He loved us and chose us while we were still sinners, and he keeps loving and choosing us every day, despite our ongoing tendency to goof things up. That is an invitation and an example to treat others the same way.

I love Colossians 3:12. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” In other words, because we know we’ve been chosen and loved by God, we can deal with complicated people differently.

• Compassion is about humanizing others. It means viewing them as people, not as problems, and choosing empathy over judgment.
• Kindness is love in action: it means treating complicated people with generosity rather than giving them “what they deserve.”
• Humility is a self-awareness issue. When we recognize our own complications, we can make space for theirs.
• Gentleness means handling issues that arise with care and wisdom, not with harshness or rudeness.
• Patience is about having a long-term perspective. Patience makes room for genuine healing and growth rather than trying to control things for our immediate convenience.

Think about the complicated people you live with, work with, or go to school with. How could you “clothe yourself” with these five mindsets today? And while you’re at it—how could you treat yourself this way, too? After all, that’s what God does.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for always giving me grace and mercy. Help me treat others with the same deep, unconditional love I’ve received from you. I want to walk in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, even when I’m dealing with people who are challenging. In Jesus’ name, amen.