Cripple: (verb) to disable, impair, weaken.

Recently I watched a show entitled "Intervention."

I was struck with a very powerful realization - love has the potential to both inspire and cripple, and the latter of which is my focus.

The particular episode I watched was about a man who was a methamphetamine addict. Out of love for him, his mother allowed him to have a tent in the backyard where he could live, would give him a bed inside when he was going through withdrawals (where she was at his beck and call -- understandably so, because withdrawals are nasty). But all in all, this love was not healing but crippling and enabling a destructive lifestyle. He made all of his meth at home, with the knowledge of his mother.

At the leaders' meeting at church Sunday evening, the topic of discussion was on the procedures that we have in place for giving to those in need. And this is something I'm beginning to understand as a leader: expectation. There do have to be expectations. For example, helping somebody pay an electricity bill. It looks like as a part of receiving that help, the receiver is to come in and work out a budget so that they can manage their money from that point forward. They're expected to work if they're able to do so.

To not have any expectation that people will get well, will move on to bigger and better things, is crippling. Granted, this goes along with the issue of whether or not people are interested in getting well, in moving on to bigger and better things.

In essence, moving onwards requires us to leave the present behind us. This requires strength, as the present is comfortable, and the future is unseen.

But you know, the song from Hawk Nelson puts it best:

"we're the ones who believe in the things unseen."