One of our most frequent and intense temptations is to try and control other people’s lives. Like Peter in his relationship with John, we often let our laudable affection and interest in others override our humility. We cannot control other people’s lives. Only Christ is Lord; only Christ governs hearts. The only heart we can govern is our own. Our task in life is to gradually train our own wild, rebellious heart to run freely and fruitfully under the guidance of the Lord. That is more than enough to keep us busy. When it comes to other people, the most we can do is love them – but even that may not change them. Loving means treating them with respect, being attentive to their needs, seeking ways to make them happy, forgiving them without limit, refraining from judging and criticizing, praying for them sincerely and continually, and encouraging them to pursue goodness by creating an environment where goodness is easier to pursue than selfishness, both by the power of our own example of seeking to follow Christ above and before all else and also, when the time is right, by our words. We can do no more. Only God can touch them more deeply.
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