dennis j adams

The beginning of each day offers new opportunities to care for others in dire need. You may not know who they are or where they may cross your path that day, but they will: Often to the comfort of others and not yourself.  Caring is not a new concept or one that could be thought of as strange. Unless you have some sort of fear to have compassion or concept that caring is obsolete. Taking time to offer love and encouragement to a hurting person will change your life and most likely will become a habit.

There are so many levels of caring that it is vast and could fill pages of books.  God so loved the world that He cared! The Bible is a story of a caring God for a hurting and lost creation. Many people have written some exceptional and occupational books on the “How To Care” concept. The importance that runs through the pages of these books, including the Bible, is that people need to be cared for! Why care? The reason for caring is simple: This is what God expects of us, all of us!

There is so much that each of us has to share with some one who has not. Simply sharing a smile to a depressed and discouraged individual is truly caring.  Giving a cup of water to a thirsty person or a chunk of bread is an action of love and deep, moving compassion. Jesus put it this way….

And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42 ESV)

The true “bridge” to this caring lifestyle is to surrender “self” to the concern for others. Putting your own needs secondary to the needs of others. Looking through the eyes of a Savior! The eyes of Christ that seek a hurting people, who are harassed and manipulated, each day.  They seem to have lost what hope they had and are just looking desperately for a hand to mend or take away the pain. Sadly that hand could be a drug dealer or an abuser of children. Pain can be hidden behind eyes of fear and those eyes can only cry late at night when alone. Everyone has enough to give someone something that may change the course of their day or even their life. Daily this prospect to reach out is in front of you. It could even be right behind you if you stop and look whom you just passed by! The care for another human being is a gift that one should never wrap up and store away!

The “surrender” part is what you must do on your own. The decision to say to yourself, “Self I am giving you up for someone else.” My needs today are going to be on hold. Today, I am going out to help someone else. Sanctifying yourself for the cause of bringing hope and joy into another’s life is the most gratifying action you can ever take. There is someone listening for a kind word or direction for his or her life to become better. Healing is welcomed by the hurting, both emotional and physical. I wear a t-shirt that declares the numbers of hope on it: Jon 3:16. I wear it in the most incredible places, New Age locations, on the mall, to church, even just walking where the hopeless hang out (which is everywhere)! You would be amazed at how many people ask about the message portrayed. Why do I do this? Because I care and want to share hope to all! I could wear a fancy shirt or even a plain t-shirt, but I surrender to do the “caring” and tell myself, I can do for someone else what they need first! Setting aside the less important, me, and serving the most important the hurting and lost generations of this earth.  What a simple act! Just a t-shirt with a message that states there is hope and it is for all!

Can you surrender to share and care for others? Having the mind of Christ and the compassion of the same!

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phillipians 2:5-8 ESV)

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.