Challenging Normal

There is a rule that I lived by in Student Ministries over the  years.  Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.  That means that you have to earn the right to speak into someone's life.  People are not interested in your opinion unless you have taken an interest in their life.  When you choose to do life with someone, you build up capital to have the privilege to speak into their life.  When you just stand on the sidelines and shout directions without getting into the game, no one takes your directions seriously.

They say that in this high paced world that we live in we have lost the ability to relate to people.  They say that we have lost the ability to have true genuine relationships and community.  Who are "they"?  And what world are "they" living in?  There is a huge desire for authentic friendships, people are searching everywhere for someone that genuinely cares about them and their life.

The true issue is that the people that are speaking the loudest are not the people that have earned the right.  They are spending capital that they do not have.  People are not listening to them because they will not sit down, take off the mask, and be authentic.  People want to know people before they give them a seat in their life.  They want to know where you have walked and what you have been through.  They want to know that they can trust your wisdom and you are not just a know-it-all.

This week, I challenge you to do not just shout from the sidelines, get in the game.  Get in people's life.  Start building capital.