Feed The Need
Posted by:
Bible Blogger on
February 26, 2008 at
10:55AM EST
(Hear the podcast at http://www.bibleblogpodcast.com )
Many
times I've listened to sermons about how we're to meet the needs of
those in our family, our church, our community, our country and our
world when they face a time of challenge. You see groups asking for
donations of food and clothing and money for "those in need" around the
world. You see telethons on TV for needy children or after some major
natural disasters like Katrina in New Orleans.
Usually those sermons or those pitches for Christians to give and give and give have some mention of this passage from 1 John:
"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:17-18 (ESV)
Certainly
we are to go into the world and put our words into action. There's no
question that we are to provide the physical needs of those facing dire
consequences or who are just down on their luck. However, I think the
concept of the "needs" of others goes far beyond the things we can see,
purchase and package. I think the concept of need has to be about the
whole person and not just about the stuff you can give them.
There
are so many people around you right now with emotional needs that are
bigger than any physical need you could fill today. These are people
who are being overcome with feelings of loneliness, despair, hurt or
abandonment. Even those who are in Christ can feel this way and it can
lead them to do things they would not ordinarily do like be an a bad
relationship or drink alcohol to excess. When the need of
companionship and human caring isn't met many things can be done by a
person to try and self-medicate. This is a dangerous situation because
it leads to addictions, health problems and in some cases suicide.
These
needs aren't always easy to see...in some cases they can be almost
impossible. I think of the times a teenager commits suicide and you
see their friends walking around wondering why and saying they had no
idea this person was so in despair that they ended their life. Now,
I'm not passing judgment on anyone because this is a hypothetical but I
wonder in those cases how many of the people left in wonder really knew
what was going on with that person? Were they invested enough in that
person's life to even realize that they made have made subtle changes
to their life?
Not everyone is the kind of person who lays
all their emotions out enough that you can get a good read on them from
being around them. There are many times they keep things inside until
it eats away at them to the point they do something unspeakable. That
can happen even to the most devout Christians who just pour themselves
out into others without ever having brothers and sisters in Christ
pouring back into them.
It's just like in Genesis 2:18:
"Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.""
We
are the helpers of each other and we need to look to the needs of
everyone around us and that includes their emotional needs. It could
be as simple as a phone call. Maybe when you go to lunch you grab a
sandwich for that co-worker who's on a deadline and can't leave the
office. You call a friend from church just to see how they're doing.
Talk to that girl in English class that sits in the back and doesn't
have many friends.
Caring about others is simple and easy.
(Now, the situation may make it hard to keep going but to care in
itself is simple and easy.) How can you make a difference and meet
someone's needs today?
