There are two facets to being contemporarily “sensitive”:
The first is on the receiving end: not wanting our faults to be pointed out to
us or people to ever disagree with us or someone to be better than us at something,
and then getting hurt when they are or they do.
The second is on the giver’s end: feeling obligated to be
“sensitive,” i.e. never pointing out someone’s strengths because it might make
someone within earshot who lacks those same strengths feel bad, and never speaking from experience or
conviction because it might clash with someone else’s experience or conviction.
But here’s the deal: it was the times in life where people
firmly and honestly leveled with me that I changed for the better. Did I like
it at the time? Of course not! But I like it now, because it was the courage of those willing to be honest and
speak truth that resulted in my seeing progress in shedding baggage, getting
a life and getting over “it” (and there are so many “its” to get over, aren’t
there?).
One of the things I love most about being a Christian is that Jesus
is my best and final critic. He never lets me get away with anything (I may get
away with it in the world, but not with Him). I have come to rely and depend on His
conviction to show me where I need to change. His love and equipping is what
allows me to actually do it.
Jesus can also use people to speak His truth to us. Funny how
He has a way of pointing out things we often already know about ourselves but were hoping nobody else noticed!
It’s when people do notice and say something that can be the catalyst that moves
us to deal with “it,” whatever “it,” at any point in time, is.
Our standing in Christ and knowing we are created by God on
purpose—on His purpose!—allows us to bravely weather the truths about our shortcomings and not be threatened by other’s strengths. If we are maturing in
Christ, then God is growing our heart, mind, gifts and talents—our uniqueness—more and more
(for His purpose and glory, not ours). It is in that confidence that I
can celebrate someone else’s gift when it is not my gift and find joy and
contentment in not having the same personality, circumstances, or abilities of somebody else.
It is knowing who
we truly are from Christ’s perspective that leads us to then BE and live out the best of who we truly are that He designed us to be. But this
transformation can never happen if we fail to learn and accept who we are not and who He never intended us to be.
Read an insightful article about "sensitivity" here:
Ephesians 4:15-16: “but speaking the truth in love, we
are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even
Christ, from whom the
whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies,
according to the proper working of each individual part,
causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
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