Daily Delight

“Get rid of toxic people in your life.”Seriously?Friends, when we make a declaration to eliminate everyone who is toxic from our lives – what kind of gospel is it? The gospel doesn’t require us to sanitize our life of people. That’s how the Pharisees rolled.When my daughter and niece were young, they made our favorite zucchini bread recipe, but the first bite – wow! They inadvertently used cayenne instead of cinnamon. So rather than that sweet taste we expected – we got a mouthful of yuck. It was the same recipe we’d always used, but with the wrong ingredient.What does that have to do with people? Everything! God made humanity in love and full of purpose. And then life happens – with lots of ingredients being poured into us – the good and the bad. So, if hate, lust, greed, pride and anger are the ingredients added to God’s original recipe – doesn’t that look toxic?If only the girls had realized their mistake before they put the bread into the oven – they could havestarted over.That’s the gospel. With Jesus – everything is new.So, before you jump on the bandwagon of eliminating people who didn’t grow up with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control – consider that you may be the only gospel, the only Jesus, the only love they have ever encountered. Even when their yucky-ness leaks and oozes all over you – it’s on you to get with God first so you can love them.You are the light in the world!Consider what it would take to remove the cayenne from the bread batter. Impossible! And all that junk a toxic person has mixed into their soul – isn’t easy for them to remove either. The only way – Jesus.My advice to you?

“Find some toxic people, and mess with their recipe and show them ‘Love.’ It’s the gospel.” “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” -Matthew 5:46-47 (ESV)

About the Author

Theresa Fenton

Currently living in Southern IL, Theresa was raised in the beautiful Berkshires of Massachusetts, and met her husband Kyle 24 years ago. They have two grown children – Abigail & Michael – both away at college and living their dreams. It’s been said that Theresa likes to “make all things pretty,” and that includes the words she puts on paper and her blog.

Theresa loves spending her time fixing up and decorating homes, cooking, meeting new friends, influencing the world around her with hope and faith and ultimately – to love God and love people a whole bunch!

You can find Theresa on Instagram here and her blog here.