The Bible contains a story that is reflected in the slogan, “Live and let live.”
God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’ “The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’ “The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’ He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’ (Matthew 13:24-30 ERV)
The kind of weeds sown by the enemy looked very much like the wheat until it was almost time for harvesting.
Whether it is in recovery circles or just in daily life we will bump into people who think and live differently from us. We need to guard our recovery by paying attention to what we need to do to keep our hearts right with God and live at peace with others. It’s so easy to be distracted by what others are doing or what we see as wrong in a common area.
We need to make amends to others when we have harmed them, even when they haven’t apologized for how they have wronged us. We need to live in truth, even as we observe others get ahead by being dishonest. We need to be respectful of others, regardless of their wrong attitude or angry words.
God’s counsel to us today is, “live and let live” because He has a plan to take care of the weeds. When the time is right, all will be revealed. Our responsibility is to live well with God and share the message of how He sustains us in our recovery. God is in control. God is with us. God is for us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so glad You know what is right and true and that I can turn over to You those things that concern me. Help me to keep my focus on Your will for my life and to follow You in all my ways. Help me to live and let live without judgment. Amen.
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