Care-fronting: Focus on Facts and Descriptions

This week: Care-fronting
Next week: Completely Free!

Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Today's Scripture

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path." (Galatians 6:1 NLT)

Thoughts for Today

When care-fronting a love one struggling with a life-controlling problem, focus on the facts, not on your personal conclusions.

It's so easy to see some and assume more, but it is vital to focus on observations and facts instead of what you think or imagine. Make statements about what you have actually seen and heard. Don't voice conclusions you personally have drawn.

Consider this …

Another element of care-fronting is to focus on descriptions, not on judgments. Your role is not to judge the behaviors as good or bad—the facts speak for themselves. Keep the lines of communication open by never placing a value judgment on the other person's behavior. By describing rather than judging, you put yourself in a neutral role of reporting on what has been seen rather than judging that behavior as right or wrong.

John 8:3-11 teaches much about care-fronting. A woman was caught in adultery. The self-righteous religious teachers and Pharisees brought her to Jesus. To help her? No. They weren't loving or caring toward her. They wanted to trap Jesus and in the process cruelly judged and condemned the woman.

Jesus didn't accuse her. There was no question the woman had sinned. She knew that and so did everyone there. Jesus didn't condemn her, but neither did he ignore the fact of her sin. He had a kind and respectful attitude. "Go and sin no more."

Prayer …

Father, help me to stop letting my imagination get carried away and to focus only on what I know about this situation. And when I communicate with my loved one, help me not to judge. Give me a heart to love and help as Jesus did. In his name . . .

These thoughts were drawn from …

Concerned Persons: Because We Need Each Other by Jimmy Ray Lee, D.Min. This group is designed for the many people who have a current or past relationship with a person who has a life-controlling problem.

It emphasizes the need we all have for each other.

It helps people focus on Christ rather than on the problem.

It serves as a powerful evangelistic tool by providing a way to minister to people's felt needs and then pointing them to Christ.

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a study for individuals or couples.

We hope these devotions are a blessing to you and to others in your life. We are happy to provide them for you at no cost, but thought you might want to consider a donation to help our ministry with the expense involved. You can safely donate through our website . Thank you!

Visit us on Facebook!

©Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day® devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN, www.LivingFree.org. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.