From the ArcaMax Publishing, Billy Graham Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/billygraham/s-360678-783768
Q: Why do some people never seem to learn from their mistakes? I have
a friend who got into a really abusive relationship with someone last
year, and now she's about to fall into the same situation with someone
else. I've tried to talk to her, but she just doesn't get it. -- M.N.
A: As you're discovering, one of life's most frustrating experiences
is to try to help someone who is headed toward almost certain disaster
-- and then have them ignore you. Jesus had the same experience; He
once cried out, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken!" (Luke 24:25).
Why is this? Psychologists point to various reasons why some people
seem determined to act unwisely and put themselves in harm's way, even
when it brings them great hurt. Some people, for instance, are
rebelling against their upbringing, or have a hidden conviction that
they aren't worthy of true happiness and deserve to be punished.
Others are so desperate for love that they'll do anything that
promises happiness -- even if that promise is false.
But the Bible says there is a deeper spiritual reason why we act this
way (and we all do, to some extent). That reason is sin, which is like
a terrible virus that infects our souls and cripples us morally and
spiritually. This is why we need Christ, for only He can take away our
sins and help us live the way we should.
Pray for your friend, and keep urging her to face the consequences of
her decisions. But most of all, urge her to turn to Christ and open
her heart to Him. God loves her, and once she discovers this truth her
life will never be the same.
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Send your queries to "My Answer," c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C.,
28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site for the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association: www.billygraham.org.