To love people means treating them civilly, cordially and compassionately, even when you disagree with them, and disapprove of their beliefs and behavior. It does not mean allowing them to abuse you or your family or your church. God gives us ways to deal with destructive people.
I have friends and family who have chosen a different spiritual path, but I still value and enjoy a pleasant relationship with them. However, I refuse to let anyone use our relationship to feed their warped ego. I still love them, but I won't sacrifice myself or other people to placate the selfish actions of hateful and hurtful people.
Love sometimes means exercising legitimate discipline, such as force, restraint, punishment, denial.
When it is not legitimate to impose discipline, and the abuser continues to injure, endanger, oppress, offend or violate you or other people, then it is legitimate to disassociate and distance yourself from them.
Love does expose us to injury, but it does not make us the willing victims of evil, abusive and destructive relationships. Even when we cannot end or escape another person's abuse, we are not required to accept or pretend that we have a good relationship, or that the victimizing is acceptable.
A good and a healthy relationship is a two-way street. Controlling, self-centered and abusive people impose their views and hatred and their will on other people. They won't allow anyone to disagree with them.
Separation is up to them.
I have friends and family who have chosen a different spiritual path, but I still value and enjoy a pleasant relationship with them. However, I refuse to let anyone use our relationship to feed their warped ego. I still love them, but I won't sacrifice myself or other people to placate the selfish actions of hateful and hurtful people.
Love sometimes means exercising legitimate discipline, such as force, restraint, punishment, denial.
When it is not legitimate to impose discipline, and the abuser continues to injure, endanger, oppress, offend or violate you or other people, then it is legitimate to disassociate and distance yourself from them.
Love does expose us to injury, but it does not make us the willing victims of evil, abusive and destructive relationships. Even when we cannot end or escape another person's abuse, we are not required to accept or pretend that we have a good relationship, or that the victimizing is acceptable.
A good and a healthy relationship is a two-way street. Controlling, self-centered and abusive people impose their views and hatred and their will on other people. They won't allow anyone to disagree with them.
Separation is up to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment