Flores Family | Thursday | 11/12

People, Not Problems

Romans 12:9–16

⁹ Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. ¹¹ Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! ¹² Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home. ¹⁴ Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them. ¹⁵ Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. ¹⁶ Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart.

One of the most powerful statements from Mario and Mackenzie's message was this:

"Missionary kids are not a problem to solve. They're a people to join."

What a beautiful way to understand Christian community.

Sometimes when we recognize that someone is struggling, our instinct is to fix things.

We want to offer advice.

We want to find a solution.

We want to make the problem disappear.

And while practical help can be a wonderful expression of love, we can sometimes become so focused on solving someone's problems that we forget to simply be present with them.

Paul offers a different vision of Christian community in Romans 12.

He tells us to love genuinely, practice hospitality, rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Notice what he doesn't say.

He doesn't tell us to eliminate everyone's sorrow.

He tells us to share it.

Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer someone isn't a solution. It's the assurance that they don't have to face their circumstances alone.

This is at the heart of the Flores family's ministry.

They want missionary kids to know that their experiences matter, their struggles are real, and they belong to a community that sees and values them.

And that is an invitation for every Christian community.

What if we became less concerned with fixing people and more committed to loving them?

What if we measured our hospitality not simply by how friendly we were, but by whether people genuinely experienced belonging?

What if the people around us knew that they could be honest about their struggles without being treated like problems?

That would be a beautiful expression of the love of Christ.

Reflect: 

When someone shares a struggle with you, is your first instinct to offer a solution or to listen? How might you become more intentional about simply being present?

Pray: 

Jesus, teach me to see people as people, not problems to solve. Give me patience to listen, compassion to understand, and humility to recognize that I don't always have the answers. Make me someone whose presence helps others know they are loved and that they belong. Amen.