Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Supporting others in their need

Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).

No one likes to feel like a doormat. No one wants to be used by others. When other people take advantage of us, it results in feels of resentment and shame—resentment at being treated so badly, shame at letting it happen to me. It would be easy to throw up barriers that say "keep away! Don’t bother me with your problems." The thing is, human beings need each other. We need each other for help in solving problems. We need each other for mutual protection. We need each other for companionship and love. We cannot thrive if we push other people away; relationships can only grow if we are willing to reach out and support each other in times of need.

God commands us to care for each other; Jesus said, love your neighbor as yourself. If someone needs help, we are expected to give it. We have ears that can hear words of pain, frustration, and fear. We have mouths that can offer solace and encouragement. We have hands and feet and money that can be used to aid those who are in need.

Of course, there are some who would take advantage of Christian generosity. They constantly beg for help but don’t try to stand on their own. They take what we offer and waste it on frivolous things. There are even some who just pretend to be in need, because they think that Christians are easily fooled. Jesus said, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). We need to watch out for scam artists who pretend to be something that they’re not. At the same time, however, we cannot let evil squash our desire to do good.

It is tempting to help others on a quid pro quo basis—"you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours." But that’s not the way Jesus thinks—He died to forgive us, never expecting that we could pay Him back for what He suffered. We are to show love the same way. Families exchange gifts at Christmas, but no parent expects a child to spend like an adult can. We are all different; we cannot expect that those who are in need will be able to repay us for our generosity, nor can we assume that everyone will use what we give them in a responsible way or show appropriate gratitude. The truth is, none of us treat God’s gifts like we should, or show proper gratitude towards the Lord; yet that does not stop Him from seeing to our needs each and every day.

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