How easy it is to allow ourselves to become desensitized to things in this world. We are impacted by the movies we watch, language we hear, music we listen to, cultural trends that we get used to seeing, moral issues that become political platforms that we become indoctrinated to, the homeless person that we get used to seeing on our daily drive, the child who comes to school hungry, the mentally ill person that most people try to avoid, the gender confused teenager that we don’t know how to address, the hoarder who has a car full of things that we judge but don’t offer help, the man that yells at his kids at the school event, the drunk who gets in a car at the end of a night at the bar, the couple who is arguing but we don’t want to interfere, the animals that are not treated well but we dismiss as only being raised for meat, the people who look like they are barely surviving that we don’t offer encouragement to, the categories that people use to classify themselves while justifying a sexual sin, even the job that we have which take the lives of animals or humans that might have been difficult at first but becomes normal after a time.
Jesus was sensitive to everyone and everything around him, and he never wavered from his sensitivity and love for those around him. We are called to be like Christ if we love him, so we are to be sensitive too. The problem with sin is that it can sneakily change, harden, and then poison our heart to the point of death. Allowing desensitization opens the door to allow Satan to take over, because it means that we have been made less likely to feel shock or distress at scenes of cruelty or suffering by overexposure. It’s a common way that the Enemy can shift an entire culture of people into not doing the one thing that he has no weapon for… LOVE.
When we truly love one another like Jesus loves us, we first must accept his love. For those that have never been given love unconditionally or have been on the receiving end of weaponized love, accepting the freely offered, lavishing love from a Heavenly Father can be the hardest thing to comprehend and learn how to do. God’s love never has to be earned, and all that he does is because of his love for us.
By giving us free will, he did the most loving thing imaginable, which is also our biggest test to pass in this life. Love isn’t love if it is forced, manipulated, or fickle, and because we have free will, we can choose to love him or not to love him. God never changes and he never moves away from us. He remains the same while the position we put ourselves in changes our perspective. God can choose to offer us protection or to let Satan’s army attack us, and he makes his choices for our good and his glory.
By filling our entire being with the love of our Father, it is only then that we have a heavenly-sized portion of love to give others around us. He makes it possible to love our enemies, to love those who mistreat us and others, to celebrate people in their accomplishments, and to empathize with those who are hurting. If we are filled with a love like that which freely flows through us, we will be extra sensitive to the world around us. All areas that have been desensitized within us become transformed, with the toxins released through our tears. In their place, we feel conviction from the Holy Spirit, who we are now more sensitive to as well. Conviction inspires growth, while desensitization stunts our growth in the numbing.
Lord, soften our hearts, rid us of all toxins of desensitization through your love, and show us how to sensitively embrace others who don’t know any better yet. Set us apart from those who are believing the lies that being sensitive makes us weak, because we know that your strength is in your love, which flows freely through us who believe. AMEN