Sensitivity and pride go hand in hand, for without pride, we would be willing to be sensitive with anyone, or at least nearly anyone. Sensitivity is also a balance though, for becoming sensitive to the point of being vulnerable with anyone and sharing your deepest thoughts, secrets, or fears crosses a line into becoming selfish. And selfish ambition is not what we want when we deal with those who we are ministering too. The place where this becomes hard is when this is to be balance and then applied towards those who we dislike or who dislike us. Luke 6:32 says, “… Even sinners love those who love them.” The only thing that stops us from doing something like this is really our own selfish pride, our inability to accept that we are not better than others. When you think about it, it means more than just being friendly towards those who do you wrong, it means that you are laying it out there for them. It is not always for their benefit or for your own, but it is for the glory of God that you are open, sensitive, and vulnerable with those who will listen.
Lately I have been thinking about how this can be used in application, and toying with it a little bit while working with middle schoolers. As it turns out, they do respond better to an open heart and acceptance. Taking this a bit further, what does this mean for working this summer? It means I have a lot to work on is what it means, and you may too. I know that I can separate myself emotionally from people, whether that’s a personality “flaw,” who knows, but what it does mean is that I need to work on opening up and tearing down some walls that I can put up when dealing with those who are not necessarily complementary to me or my personality. To put it quite frankly, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31), and I know that I never want enjoy people shutting themselves off from me.
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