When I was a teenager, I had a dog that was hit by a car. His hip was broken in the accident. Obviously, he was in a lot of pain. So when I picked him up to take him to the vet, do you know what he did? He bit me! I was only trying to be kind and help, but he bit me.
Same song, second verse…
Have you ever tried to reach out to someone who was obviously in pain in an effort to help them? When you have done so, have you ever been “bitten” by those you were trying to help? I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you have. You see, I’ve come to realize that hurt people can hurt people.
So here are two challenges we face in times of great stress in our life:
1) Don’t let your fear of being “bitten” keep you from doing good for others. Seldom does doing good and helping another come without some cost. The gift of God’s grace for doing the right thing far outweighs the emotional or financial sting a hurting soul can dish out.
2) When you are hurting, and someone reaches out with an offer of help, resist the urge to “bite”. Do not be afraid to graciously accept their help, try to understand that they are seeking your good. Sometimes it is difficult to admit that we need assistance, but we end up doing good ourselves by allowing others to serve God in helping their fellow man (even if it is us).
Consider this, being a Christian is much more than having the right answers to biblical questions. It’s also making oneself available to be used by Jesus to reach out to a hurting world with a healing message. Let’s be sure we share the love of Christ with our words and show His love through our deeds.
“By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13.35).
TheGospelMessageToday 