People Are Too Much

There is a famous line from the popular comic strip, Peanuts, where Linus says, "I love mankind ... it's people I can't stand!" Sure, it's intended as humor, but I think there's a salient point here. You see, while we know that we are made in God's image and, therefore, have God-given value, there are just some people who make it hard to remember. Let's face it; people will let you down. That crazy driver, that neglectful spouse, that unkind parent, that ungrateful child, the friend who can't be bothered to call you ... ever. They're everywhere, people who aren't the best reflections of the image of God. Likely every one of us falls into that category sooner or later. So, what to do?

It is easy to become a curmudgeon, that cranky old man yelling, "You kids get off my lawn!" "People? Who needs 'em?" The more society feeds their anti-God bias, the less pleasant society becomes and the easier it is to feel distressed, hurt, or resentful. This, of course, won't work for Christians. Our highest instructions are 1) love God and 2) love your neighbor, so "I don't like people" isn't going to fly. How, then, should a Christian who has been hurt or has tendencies to be negative toward people (perhaps even with just cause) manage this problem?

We suffer from megalomania of a sort. We think "It's all about me" even when we're not consciously doing so. "What's in it for me?" is the first, even if unspoken, question we ask about whatever we're considering. We even go to church to "get fed", to "be blessed" ... to get served. Scripture, on the other hand, appears to instruct us to an entirely opposite perspective -- an "others" perspective. Instead of a life lived to get what we can out of it, the Christian life is a life lived to give what we can. It is a life aimed at glorifying God and loving people. When Paul says his famous, "My God shall supply all your needs" (Phil 4:19), he's not talking about a Mercedes and two vacation homes; he's talking about everything you need to do what God requires.

So, think about that. If you are living on God's supply aiming to glorify God and love people, in what sense will people be a problem to you? They can't let you down because you're not expecting anything from them. They can't disappoint you because you aren't basing your relationship with them on hopes and expectations of them. If you are not living from people, but to people, you are essentially immune to their shortcomings.

I would suggest that when we feel cheated by others, it will likely be because we were expecting something from others. When we are frustrated by others, it is likely because we were hoping for something from them rather than what we can give them. Sure, people let us down and people hurt us. It's a given. One of the common traits of all human beings is that they're "only human" ... you know. But I would suggest that the best and right way to deal with it is not to become bitter or frustrated, but to repent of your own self-centered thinking and figure out what you have from God that you can give them instead. We -- I -- need to stop being here to "get" and be here to glorify God and love our neighbors. A life lived for God and others is a life well-lived, not wasted. All that other stuff is peripheral.