Making excuses

I've been told a lot that I need to stop "making excuses" for people. That this leads to others taking advantage of me. I understand what I'm being told but at the same time....I can't help it. There are different angles to look at situations. Not everything is cut and dry. Not everyone makes good choices in a bad situation. So me being a "fixer", I try come up with ways as to why people may do the things they do.....and then try to help them.

I spend a lot of time in the ER and people come from all walks of life. As I take care of them I sometimes wonder what life they have or how they got to the point they are now? What happened before they walked through the door? What do they live in everyday? Do they know Jesus at all? Asking these questions puts things in a whole new perspective. And we can ask these questions to anyone we meet, not just at an ER. What if someone new comes to church? Or you volunteer at a place? Putting people's situations in perspective gives a new sense of how we can help and pray for them. Then I get told that "making excuses" for people is dumb and I should stop doing it.....well I can't.

I knew a dear lady at our church and she was a big influence on me as a Christian. When I was first saved she invited me to her house for a ladies Bible study. I felt so out of place as all the women were more mature in their walk with Christ.....but she encouraged me to come anyway. She was one of those people that just made you feel better just sitting in her presence. Jesus love spilled out of her like a waterfall. You couldn't help but notice him when you were with her. Over the years I watched as she prayed for people....encouraged them.....helped counsel women......studied with us.....worked with kids and youth......helped me grow.....loved me with an unconditional love, as she did to everyone she knew. She always kept an empty bed open at her home incase someone needed a place to lay their head for a night or two. I could call her anytime of day and she would steer me I'm the godly direction I needed to go and not the selfish one I wanted to take. She and I had many conversations and she knew a lot of my struggles. But at the same time.....she "made excuses" for people too. We had never talked of this quality she had, but now that I changed my perspective on people, she would agree with me. She looked at situations through Gods eyes and saw people as He did. She didn't judge or condemn, but loved In a way that only God could do through her. She has been passed away for several years now, but her legacy still lives on at our little church. We can all still talk of Jean and how she loved us all....not favoring one over the other. We still talk of her influence on us as Jesus' ambassador and how she was a prayer warrior for all of us.

I realize the reason I make excuses for people.....if you think about it, the Bible tells us that Jesus sits at His Fathers right hand and intercedes for us. Did you catch that? He is our go-between. He is our mediator between us and our Father. So when I make excuses for people, it's no different that what my savior does for me. I must clarify that Jesus does stand between God and our sin. He doesn't excuse our sin......but his sacrifice allows him to cover our sin so we can have fellowship with our father. We have been given so much grace by our God......we can do right and extend that same grace to others.....whether people agree with it or not. And think about this....in the end, we only answer for what we (meaning I) did or didn't do for my God within the church body he has placed me. So if I don't extend grace to someone, that's on me. We all have free will to do as we please. He won't take that away, but gives us instructions on how to live a godly life. We have a choice.....we always have a choice.