Serving the Least of These

Recently God has been teaching me about what it means to really love and serve others, without benefits and agenda, as Christ calls us to. My prayer so far has been, God help me to serve and to love well in what I do, but it has been just a prayer, not a call to action. Until recently.

A few situations have come up the last few months that God has used to teach me and grow me as a Christian.

A younger friend was struggling with a sin and was being very much judged and discriminated against for what she was doing. But the worst part of all is that those who claimed to love her and serve God had turned their backs on her. We were very much confused why this was happening; when this was the time she needed support and love the most.

But my only thought was that this is such a hard time for her, and that those who should be supporting her and helping her are not.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later when the situation was at a stand still, that I had talked with a friend about why these people weren’t helping her. Their answer was first, why aren’t they taking care of the situation. Their second idea was, why can’t you do something about it?

As I began thinking more, I thought, YES!, why can’t I, and why am I NOT doing something about this already? Christ did not come to save the healthy, but the sick. I am not perfect, and God has forgiven me, so why is it our place as Christians to decide who deserves God’s grace and love? This was the perfect opportunity to show Christ’s love, not just by being her friend and helping her through this situation, but by helping find a solution to some of the consequences.

This whole ordeal made me start to think about how many times I have missed serving and blessing others in Christ’s name, just because their problem wasn’t my problem. I think that is what we often think - it doesn’t involve me, so it isn’t necessary for ME to do anything, when that is EXACTLY what God wants us to do. He has called us to go where there is hurt, brokenness, and confusion, and not to turn and run the other way. He is creating opportunities all the time for us to jump in and love others with his love, but we don’t always take advantage of that. Instead of judging others because of their sins, or problems, God has called us to love and restore, and we can’t do that by sitting on the sidelines. We have to make other people’s problems, our problems by caring for them as Christ did.
Sometimes serving others looks like a physical action with no spiritual change, but God has reminded me time and time again that his love is violent and powerful, and with just one action on our part, his love can squeeze into a small place and take over. If we don’t go to, and be with those who are hurt, powerless, and looked down on, who will?