I want to encourage us to remove the words in the title of this blog post from our vocabulary. Instead, let’s replace it with, “I’m sure they meant the best from this.”
We say things like the title of this post when we’ve been assuming the motives of others. For me, my flesh draws me to try to figure out things in my mind when someone has done something I don’t like.
But the reality is we don’t know why people do what they do. Motives are only known by the person who performed the action and God. Look what Jeremiah 17:19 says:
“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind,
Jeremiah 17:10
Friends, trying to determine the reasons why people do what they do could be a subtle way of trying to be God.
Consider one of the commitments we’ve made in our church covenant: “giving one another the benefit of the doubt.” That’s the most freeing way to live when someone has done something we don’t like. Why not just assume the best about them and say such if it comes up in conversation?
It’s good to expose the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11), and it could be cowardly to ignore blatant sin among our church or otherwise, but it’s presumptuous to call something a work of darkness before it comes to light.
If someone has ill intent, God knows and He has given Jesus the authority to sort it all out. He has a way of making things known. Let’s trust that He’ll handle it in His time and act with integrity until then.
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