Trying To Think The Best Of Others
1 Corinthians 13:7-Love…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
The phrase “believes all things” has the idea of trying to believe the best about other people in regard to their motivations, intentions and actions. It is not a naivety that blinds us, but an optimism that prepares us as we hope for the best in other people and situations that we encounter. Notice how this phrase is translated in other versions of the Bible:
… “believes the best in all…” (ISV)
… “is ever ready to believe the best of every person…” (Amplified)
… “for it never stops believing the best for others…” (TPT)
Sometimes in life, we are ready to believe the worst about others as our first reaction. Maybe we have become jaded, or perhaps we are working through personal trauma that has brought out that tendency in us. This may cause us to be defensive, or easily offended. Misunderstandings can easily happen! I’ll give you an example of one on me. A few weeks ago, a friend messaged me on Facebook and asked me to inform her when I would be doing a Facebook Bible study that day. At the time, we were sowing grass seed over in our new lawn. I told her, “It will be a while. We are sowing the grass.” For some reason, my spell check changed that to, “It will be a while. We are smoking the grass.”
😱
Fortunately, my friend gave me the benefit of the doubt and we laughed about it. However, that could have easily have led to misunderstanding!
Try to see the best in others. Give your neighbors the benefit of the doubt. Even if you are mistaken and someone didn’t have the best intentions in a situation, perhaps your faith in the good person that they could be will encourage them to grow into that person.
Father, thank You for loving us. If we are hard hearted or bitter because of experiences that have hurt us, please help us to heal. Teach us to see and to believe the best in others. In Jesus Name, Amen.