Let Them. Let Me. Let It Be.
There are a lot of things that can be a challenge to working an overnight shift with the homeless population, but there are such great blessings that come from it, too. One of my favorite parts of my job is the opportunity to speak into the lives of the women, at least once a week, during Devotional time. I have the beautiful gift of spending nearly entire nights of quiet time alone with the Lord in preparation to share at the end of my shift.
Recently, I felt the Lord place a message on my heart for the ladies that was meant to speak to them about how to navigate community living. While living in a shelter is certainly a different experience than most of us are facing, when we are believers, we are part of a unique community. We not only have to navigate life amongst our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we also must learn what it means to be in the world, but not of it.
Around the same time I was developing the teaching for the residents, I found a t-shirt that I thought tied into this concept. (Small blessing? Working overnights allows for casual dress, so my t-shirt wardrobe is always expanding.)
The shirt says, “Let Them” on the front. On the back it says, “Let Them: Misunderstand You, Judge You, Gossip About You. Never Doubt: Your Worth, Your Beauty! Keep Shining!” I decided to wear the shirt as a visual aid to the lesson I called “Let Them. Let Me. Let It Be.”
As I began doing research and developing the lesson, I recalled that there had been a book that I had heard about quite frequently, discussed on social media and among friends, called “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. Although, as of now, I have yet to read the book, I am familiar with concepts that it teaches.
How many of us know that often Biblical concepts that are timeless somehow become “new trends” or are brought out as new knowledge? I think that the Bible has been teaching the “Let Them Theory” for thousands of years.
So, what is the basic concept of the “Let Them Theory”? It is the idea that how others act should not impact how we act. We can act how we choose regardless of how others may act towards us or think about us.
I will be the first to say that this is a concept that I need to embrace more. It is much easier said than done. However, when our hearts are in the right place and postured correctly, we can understand that pleasing God is far more important than pleasing others.
According to John 15, Jesus promises us that our faith will cause us to displease others. It actually goes so far as to say we will be hated.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”—John 15:18-19 (ESV)
We are called to love, not be loved. That doesn’t mean that we intentionally make others despise us, but often, we are going to experience people being repelled by our love of Christ.
“God did not call you to be liked, He called you to be light. And light, by its very nature, makes darkness uncomfortable.”—Youssef Kromah
So, by sharing the living water, we are going to experience those who take a big gulp of “hater-ade”.
Once we accept the fact that we are going to have those who aren’t going to like us or what we do, what can we do in response? According to the creator of “The Let Them Theory”, Mel Robbins, “When you say ‘Let Them’, you make a conscious decision not to allow other people’s behavior to bother you. When you say ‘Let Me’, you take responsibility for what YOU do next.”
So, what does God’s word say that our “Let Me” actions should be?
Matthew 5:38-40 (ESV)--You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
Luke 6:27-28;35 (ESV)--But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you….But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Romans 12:14;17 (ESV)--Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them; Repay no one evil for evil but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
1 Peter 3:9 (ESV)--Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
So, when you have “let them” and determined to “let me”, the last thing we must do is to “let it be”. We have to place others and situations into God’s hands. When we pray and say “Amen”, we are actually uttering a word that means “so be it”. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in our relationships.
I have long held onto a quote by someone whose own work with the impoverished and homeless has inspired me. May these words inspire you as you navigate each encounter with other people:
“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God; It was never between you and them anyway.”
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Now, I challenge you. Let them. Let me. Let it be.