Love You to Death

I was just watching the show Intervention on A and E, and was struck by a statement one of the parents said to their daughter who was struggling with an eating disorder. She said "It is not my job to love you to death." It is interesting to think about in terms of the Christian walk. I have always had difficulty understanding why grace and Christlike character are characterized by non-confrontative encounters and random niceties, as if merely being a nice person is enough to further the gospel. 1 timothy 5:20 says "Those who sin should be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning."
Please don't misunderstand me. I 'm not saying we drag every congregation member in front of the church so that we can throw stones at them. But, I do think we seriously downplay the role of the church in our lives. Sin affects a community, if it is functioning the way it was intended. We should all be in prayer for one another and helping each other "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." If we are not close enough to each other to be able to speak
into each others' lives, we are doing ourselves a disservice.Confrontation does have its place within the church body. Every time we don't gently correct each other in love, we are actually not bringing life, but death. Confrontation, if done in the right context, creates love. Love creates character.  Love creates new life in Christ.