All of us like sheep have gone
astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the
iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
We
live in a broken world. There is so much
pain and dysfunction all around us.
Because of that pain and what people have done or what they battle, so
many people have chosen to turn their heads the other direction. That is when you see a hurting person or
someone who made a bad decision and you move on, you don’t offer to help and you
become cold.
Have
we become cold to the hurt of the world?
For me that answer is no, but I have to be careful because there are
some things that I get cold toward. It
is important that I make sure I am careful to not grow cold or less
compassionate.
Hurting
people need God. They need people who
will reach out and not worry about things and show the love of God.
Life
is messy. So many of the addictions that
people struggle with and the relationships that have fallen apart make life
messy. I believe that God has called us,
call His children, to reach out to hurting people. We don’t need to worry about getting our
hands dirty.
In
fact God often takes the hurt we’ve experienced and grown through to help
others deal with what they are going through.
When you have been where another person is, you can sympathize with them
and understand where they are coming from.
You can listen and be compassionate.
I meet
all kinds of people. The church I am
honored to serve attracts people from many walks of life, and most of these
people are broken and in pain. God has
called us to lend a hand, to help heal wounds, to give second chances and to
love like God loves. That is not always
easy, but it is always right.
Do see
you broken and hurting people around you?
Did you notice the man or woman on the street corner holding up the
sign? Did you notice the person on the
park bench sleeping? Did you see that
kid with the worn out tennis shoes? Did
you hear the rumble of the person’s stomach that you sat next to in the waiting
room?
There
are hurting people all around us. When
we chose to respond, when we chose to reach out and be compassionate, when we
chose to notice the homeless or hurting person, we will make a difference each
time that we reach out.
Seeing
people that others miss begins with pointing ourselves toward God and notice
how God has blessed us. You may not have
much money or much time, but the money you do have and the time you do have can
bless another person who has a real need and lots of hurt.
Tommy
Barnett said it best in these two lines … find a need and meet it; find a hurt
and heal it. May God help us to see
people that others miss.
If someone has enough money to live
well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s
love be in that person?
Rescue others
by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but
do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
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