Please Help

Originally posted on May 1, 2012 on  http://trishlove.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/please-help/

In 1John we are reminded of what it means to love one another, and even reminded of what love is:  "Whoever does not love does does not know God, because God is love." (4:8)  And then, of course, reminded of the ultimate gift:  "This is love;  not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.  This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that he might live through him." (4:10)

A while back, Kyle and I went down to Minneapolis for a basketball game.  When you live in rural Minnesota, you are, for the most part, relatively sheltered from the troubles of the world.  During our walk to Target Center, we observed many who were suffering and needing help.  This isn't a site we are used to seeing in our area.  You see it on the news, pictures on the internet and even when we travel up to Duluth.  The thing is, just because we don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

As we were walking, one man in particular grabbed my attention.  He was sitting quietly with his back to a wall.  He was so very quiet, you almost didn't know he was there.  His head was hanging low.  He looked tired and lonely.  You could tell he had all of his belongings with him, which wasn't much.  It's funny when you think you can't live without these new shoes, or new video game . . .etc, and here is someone who has so little, and yet, lives.  Proof to me, that we don't really "need" anything but God. But, I digress . . .  He held a sign that simply said, "Please Help".   It was so simple and unintrusive.

But, we kept walking, not even pausing for a moment.  And as we did that, one thought came to me so strongly, "Would you know Jesus if you saw Him today?"  That caused me to look over at my shoulder again.  That thought has been haunting me since that day.  It has caused me to reflect on how we interact with one another . . . how we pass by those who need help.  We seem to live in a society where it is easy to turn our backs on those who are hurting or to not even notice them.   It is easier to judge one another and in doing so, try to build up our own self image, and to try to justify our own behaviors.  As though someone else's sins are greater then your own or their needs are somehow unimportant.

Was this God's plan for us when he sent us his one and only son?  To waste this precious gift and turn on one another??  We know that we are to live Christ like.  We know that we are to be there to serve our Lord and to help one another.  In 1John 2:28 we read, "And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming."  We should not read this, and point to our brothers and sisters in Christ, hoping that they get the idea.  We all do it though . . . we  read scriptures like this or hear an amazing sermon, and look at the person next to us with a smug expression, thinking, "boy, I sure hope they heard that!"   What we all need to be doing is looking within ourselves. What can we do to help each other if we can't recognize our own sins?

So my question is this, would you recognize Jesus if you saw him face to face today?  Do we really want to run the risk of casting him aside or should we treat everyone with the same love that we would Jesus?  We are called to love one another.  It's not easy.  Not by a long shot.  No one ever said living as a Christian is easy!  But isn't our salvation worth the effort?  As John tells us, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

I know we can't solve all the problems of the world, but we do have one very powerful tool that sure can go a long way in trying:  PRAYER.  Praying for one another sure can go a long way!  It's the first step in loving one another.

Many blessings to you all!