We are all called to live out the Gospel message. Everyday brings us opportunities to do just that.
"Love your neighbor as yourself"(Matt. 12:31) sums it up nicely.
Most of us do this without even thinking about it. We hold a door for someone. We offer a smile to someone who looks sad. We introduce ourselves to strangers.
How about going a step further? Are we willing to give someone the coat off of our back?
I know (and love dearly) someone who did just that, one day last week in the brutal cold.
This 'body-of-Christ' person saw a need. It started small. A kind word spoken because the receiver was obviously very, very cold. An offer of gloves, placed on the frigid person's hands by the giver because his fingers were curled with cold.
And then, the offer "would you like my coat, too?" I am sure that there was gratitude on the part of the receiver. He still had a ways to walk and had just stopped to get warm enough to finish his trek. Now he could do it warmth.
That could have been the end of it, but this kind-hearted person was feeling a little regretful later in the day because they realized a cab would have offered more protection from the elements.
Another listener to the conversation chimed in:
"Don't feel badly! You were like the good Samaritan who took care of the initial need and then left the wounded man in the care of another. Someone else picked up where you left off."
I saw relief on the giver's face. We can't do it all. We can only do the part God asks us to do and then trust that the next person called upon to step up to the plate will be a good discerner of God's voice as well.
If we all lived the Gospel so well, the world would be a much warmer place.
No comments:
Post a Comment