Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Hurting People Need To See Jesus

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” -- John 15:12

Have you ever stopped to consider what’s going on in the life of the person on the pew behind you at church? Or standing in line behind you at the bank? Or pushing the shopping cart down the aisle at the grocery store?

Oh, I’m not talking about the exterior stuff. Everyone can see that. I’m asking about the issues that lie within them.

I know. You can’t know those things in complete strangers. And, sometimes, we don’t know those things about people we think we know. Because there are some things you just don’t share.

For a time there was an ad on the radio that talked about the hungry person living next door. I always thought it really touched on something we’d prefer not to think about -- there are people in need all around us. We just don’t see them.

We don’t see the man who just learned his wife is having an affair. We don’t recognize the couple coping with bankruptcy. We don’t hear the anguish of the mother whose child is using drugs. We don’t feel the fear of the man awaiting the results of a medical test.

So what can we do for all those unseen, unspoken, hurts that surround us? We can offer a kind word, a smile, a helping hand. It’s amazing how much having someone actually be nice to you can impact your day.

I recently came across a quote accredited to Philo of Alexandria. “Be kind, for everyone you meet in fighting a great battle.” It came from the book The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith. I love it because it’s just so very true.

Think about your own life. Maybe you’re one of those people who share everything. Most likely the deeper the hurt, the fear, the embarrassment, the less likely you are to tell others. Sometimes it’s like we’re the walking wounded.

Now look around at those same people we looked at before. Don’t see them as strangers. Don’t overlook their humanness. Consider that they have challenges and hurts and sorrows. Remember that they have feelings just as you do.

Don’t respond to irritation or anger. Greet people with courtesy and kindness. The other day a young woman really had an attitude at a fast food restaurant. She was loudly complaining and threatening to report the workers because they wouldn’t serve her breakfast during the lunch shift. I merely shook my head, looked the server in the eye and said thank you for my cup of coffee. She smiled gratefully. A small kindness in the midst of a storm.

We’re all just people. We feel and we hurt and try to pretend everything is wonderful when it isn’t. So love the people around you. Speak kind words. Hold a door open. Be generous with praise. Show people what Jesus looks like in this world.