We Christians sure talk the talk, don't we? We have a lingo all our own - words and phrases we throw around that become common talk amongst our Sunday morning conversations. Not to say that we're not sincere by saying them...but I do believe that we don't always think about what we're saying before it leaves our mouths.
One phrase in particular comes to mind.
A person approaches us and begins to share her struggles. (Not even a person at church Sunday mornings. More likely a person we run into during the week, because we Christians also have a hard time being honest about our lives. But that's for another post.) She tells you her burdens. Difficult children. Broken marriage. Lost job. Not enough money to put gas in the car.
We listen politely. And then that phrase.
I'll be praying for you.
Really? If you see this person again next week, will you even remember what she's struggling with? Or will you be able to honestly tell her you've been praying?
Let's up the game a bit. Yeah, so prayer is a good thing. The best thing you can offer anyone. The most powerful tool known to man. But let's not forget the other tools we've also been equipped with.
Why not give her the cash in your wallet so she can buy gas for her car?
Buy a gift card to the local grocery store?
Or a gift card for her and her husband to have dinner together?
Offer to watch the kids?
Mow her yard?
Give away your extra winter coat?
Prepare a meal and take it to the family?
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? -James 2:15-16
We Christians may talk the talk and make ourselves sound good. But if we don't walk the walk, the person in need has no reason to believe in our God.
2 comments:
I think it's valuable for people to be open to exposing themselves to differing viewpoints and ideas, which is why I enjoy reading your blog, even though, as an atheist/secular humanist, I personally disagree with the religious aspect.
However, that said, I couldn't agree more with what you've written about offering real, physical help to those who need it, rather than just saying some comforting words. There are so many people, believers and non-believers alike, who may say all the right things, but their actions fail to back it up. A prayer may be extremely beneficial in the eyes of some, and worthless to others, but it's hard to argue that the simple act of giving a meal, gas money, or childcare won't make a huge difference to the recipient. It all comes down to doing good things with your life and having a positive effect on others' lives, whether it's done to get into a deity's good graces, or just for the sake of being a good human being.
Anyway, sorry for the novel of a comment, and thank you for encouraging everyone to think more about their words and actions.
Doug Reed spoke at Pathways this past week. Being the pastor of Life Groups, that's what he talked about. He spoke of the importance of Life Groups being how there we go deep with people. I think of how often we don't do that in Life Groups, we come, we sing, we study the Bible, we socialize, we go home. We can be so Bible Study driven I think at times that we don't stop to ask each other, "Are you okay? Can I pray for you for anything?" And really care and want to listen. So often I think we say, "How are you doing?" when we don't really want to know.
I like how you listed physical things that we can do. I think that's always a good way to get a foot in the door to get to know a person better, to be a part of their lives in a way that shows we care so that if they are hurting, perhaps they'll open up and give us that opportunity to pray for them, give them a hug, and show them the love of Jesus in that way.
Sadly, though, I think sometimes people just thing doing good deeds is enough but don't want to really get to know the people they do good deeds for. Wow, guess I have a lot of thoughts about this topic!
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