Do People Suck The Life Out Of You?

Do you have people that just Suck The Life Out of You?  If you are like most people the answer is an astounding YES!  Last spring at Awaken we spent time looking at how we love those life sucking vampires in our lives?  Below are some simple things that we looked at in hopes of dealing with these life sucking vampires.

Ever have to deal with these kinds of people?

• People who approach life with a high sense of entitlement and low sense of gratitude.
• People who always forget their wallets.
• People who never follow through with their responsibilities or commitments.
• People who think their issues or crisis are the most important thing on the planet.
• People who talk too much and listen too little.
• People who point out everybody else’s issues in spite of their own.
• People who act as if I guess that will be good enough for me.
• People who put in minimal efforts but want max results.
• People freak out about the slightest inconvenience.
• People who are constantly complaining about their situation.
• People who say they will do something for you and you know they never intend to do it because they always make blanket promises.

I don't know about you, but as I read these I can't help but see some of me in them.  In week one we discussed that maybe I am a life sucking Vampire too.  To love the people who suck the life out of us we have to realize that we suck too! 

Forgiveness can also be one of those life sucking vampires in our lives.  There is a continuum between forgiveness and bitterness.  Meaning that if we are not forgiving we are becoming embittered.  But the real question is how do we forgive some of those atrocities that have been done to me or those that I love?  We looked at a nugget of truth that can make this easier.  Grace Received Can Transform Pain Perceived.  Basically the more I understand how much grace I've needed the more I understand how I need to forgive others. 

Knowing that I suck too, doesn't eliminate some others from sucking the life out of me.  Therefore  healthy boundaries can really become the "Garlic and Stakes" for fighting off those vampires.  We have to be able to understand which relationships are going to encourage me and build me up and which ones are going to challenge me and take some extra energy.  Paul knew this and labeled his relationships appropriately in 2 Timothy 4:9-15.  When you label a relationship correctly you are able to engage it appropriately.  Also unconditional love doesn't mean granting equal access.  Jesus showed this in his ministry. 

So there is no way that we can leave a world where people drain other people.  But maybe realizing some of these truths will help us to be able to grow and learn and challenge one another on How To Hug A Vampire. To access the messages in this series: http://awakenvirginiabeach.com/media/sermons/hug-a-vampire-series.html