There is much talk these days about loving neighbors and being missional communities and doing good to others. I am not very much interested in the talk. I am, however, very interested in the action. I can’t think of anything more inspiring than to see someone truly caring about another. Anytime anyone has deeply cared for me, I have been moved. I guess that is why I am moved when I see one human caring deeply for another- helping them when they can’t or don’t know how to help themselves.
Caring for another- truly loving our neighbor- begins and ends with love for sure. What I mean is that we aren’t interested in loving people if we aren’t loving people in the first place. And, we can’t follow through to the ruddy end unless we have the perseverance and passion that only love can sustain when things get discouraging, messy and impose upon our freedoms.
But, there is something in the middle between being loving people and actually loving others. I believe that there are a lot of loving people walking around who would very much like to deeply love someone who needs it desperately. The middle part, however, is our ability to see the need. There are many people who need to be loved. But, they don’t wear it on their sleeves or tip their hat to that need. They simply go about their day, suffering as Thoreau noted, “living lives of quiet desperation.” They are so unnoticeable that only a trained and watching eye will see them. I am confident that there are scores of loving people who miss opportunities to demonstrate their love to others.
To that middle, I would like to note something that Jesus spoke about (Matthew 13:15-16) when he quoted Isaiah (6:10). He spoke about people who possess functional eyes and ears. But, for some unusual reason, they neither see nor hear. They have working minds. But, they cannot understand. They have all of the functional parts to discern what is happening around them. But, they are apparently so determined to get where they are going or set in their rigid ways or calloused by life’s struggles or dulled by their own selfishness that they cannot see, hear or understand clearly. Now, of course, Jesus was speaking about hard hearted folks who couldn’t see the truth if it kicked them in the face and likely wouldn’t care or change if it did.
But, if I may, I would suggest that there are also good natured, loving people who also struggle with seeing and hearing because they too can be overly concerned about where they are going, their own concerns for life, or romanced by the texting, tweeting, driving, reading, writing or thinking that they walk right past one of those folks very close to drowning in their own depression or hurt.
I would hope that I would be the kind of person who is loving in the first and last place and also has the ability to see the hurts and hear the cries of others, giving me the ability to respond. I was walking by the sea last week on a vigorous exercise walk in Tampa. I like to pray during my walks. The sun was setting and there were bikers and runners on the same path. I walked past a woman who was sitting alone by the water’s edge about 20 feet from the path. Without really thinking at all, I walked past. It wasn’t until, on my return walk back to my car, that I thought, “I wonder if she is in some kind of trouble and has no one to talk to.” So, I stopped and simply asked, “Is everything O.K.?” She responded that it was. She was only there to enjoy the sunset. I asked her if I could pray a quick prayer for her. She smiled and said, “Please.” I did and then went on my way. She had no particular need. That was not the point. The point was that I walked past someone without giving the slightest thought to their possible distress. It was not a matter of the capacity to care or having functional eyes or being a sensitive person. It was being oblivious to a possibility. I simply want eyes to see and ears to hear; not only the truth that Jesus wants me to know, but the people he wants me to serve. Just as I need to be a loving person, I need to be a discerning one.
Amen (except for the Thoreau quote)
please understand quoting is one of my hangups and I only quote five people and one of them is God! The other four are Matthew Mark Luke and John.
Posted by: Dale Marcum | March 07, 2011 at 11:50 PM