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Have you ever written someone off? Said to yourself, “They’re not worth my time, why waste myself on someone like that?”

I think many of us would claim not to have done this, and others would say, “Yes, I have, and with good reason.”

Please consider with me whether or not this is the Godly response. I mean, as Christians we’re supposed to strive to be like Christ, right?

So who did Christ write off?

I can hear you now, saying ‘Pharisees!’

I contend that Jesus did NOT write off the Pharisees. He confronted them, told them exactly who they were, and what they needed to do to get right. That’s not writing someone off, that’s being invested in them.

Jesus cared for, and invested Himself in the lives of the Pharisees. Weird to think of, isn’t it? I mean they were His enemies. Always trying to trip Him up, purposely trying to make Him look bad, conspiring about Him behind His back to take His very life. Yet He took the time to confront them with their sin and try to make them see what was right. He remained invested, at least enough to tell them what they needed to hear. Even to the point of meeting one late at night, in secret.

You know that verse, John 3:16…For God so loved the world… Probably the most well-recognized verse in the world. That verse was first uttered to a Pharisee.

So, thinking about that, who do we tend to write off? And for what?

I’ve seen big, scary-lookin’ biker dudes humbly take a gospel tract and politely listen to little ole me as I try and tell them the gospel.

That’s just one example of something in another person that might intimidate us.

But what about the person who offends me? The one who annoys me? The one whose personality just clashes with mine? The one who refuses to understand why I vote the way I vote, or why I dress the way I dress, or why I raise my kids this way and not that?

Do we write those people off? Our critics? The ones who don’t like us?

I live in one of the most ‘written-off’ areas of the United States…the Hollywood, California area. Where many of the movies and TV shows are made. They influence the world from here, and Christians have decided it’s not worth their time to get invested here.

Everyone is worth our time.

Everyone is worth something.

Everyone is just as worthwhile as you are.

Everyone is just as valuable to God as you are. Everyone. Even the people I don’t like. Even the people you don’t like.

I’m not saying you have to hang out and go shopping and pretend to be best buddies. Just that everyone is worthy of a smile. Of hearing the Good News of Christ. Of help when they need it.

Everyone is worthy of John 3:16.

About the Author:

Sherry grew up in various cities around northern and central California. This gave her all sorts of stories that sat and festered in her brain, waiting to be let loose. She eventually went to college in Wisconsin, where she met her equally frenetic husband, Rich. They have six (yes, count them) children, two dogs and a cat, and currently reside in a madhouse in the southern California area. As a family, they enjoy being active in their local church. Sherry spends her time writing when not caring for Granny, the kids, the dogs, the cat and any number of strays in the neighborhood.

Sherry Chamblee can also be found at http://www.sherrychamblee.weebly.com or her Facebook page, Author Sherry Chamblee.

You can also follow her on Twitter @SherryChamblee