In church we so often elevate spiritual practices to be limited to things like prayer, worship, preaching, evangelizing, fasting and prophesying. We tend to strive for these things, because we have attributed more weight to those spiritual practices than we do to other things. I've fallen into this trap myself, so I'm writing to myself as much as to you.
When we add more weight to the things we consider to be 'spiritual practices', we're on dangerous ground. Prayer, preaching and healing may be the things that Jesus DID when I was on earth, but compassion and love people were His NATURE. It was His driving force to come to earth: to restore, to heal, to comfort, to set captives free. Our souls being saved by His sacrifice is essential and central, but it's not limited to this. His heart breaks when people suffer.
We can't be like Jesus and at the same time disregard His heart of compassion and love for those who are suffering. He doesn't just want to keep us busy with tasks, He wants to infuse our hearts with His', including the deeds this will lead to: feeding the hungry, visiting the suffering, comfort the grieving, being good to strangers. I don't mean to scare you, but these practices are so important to Him that He even said that He will reject those of us who don't take care of those around us. (Matthew 25:31-46, see below).
If we want to be like Jesus, we need to embrace His heart of compassion for those that are suffering
There are so many small ways that can have a major impact on someone else's life. I recently saw this, when I connected with Marietta. The elderly single woman that sold me her old house.
For me this is a dream home that I know Father God gave me. But to Marjet it was devastating to sell the house. She was suffering from major depressions throughout her life. Because of her condition she was deemed incompetent to take care of herself. It was decided for her that she needed to be admitted in a nursing home and sell her house and beloved garden. Shortly after I bought the house I visited her in the nursing home where she was living. We had spoken on the phone once and I already knew how she was grieving the loss of her house. So I made a simple little photo album for her, with beautiful pictures of her beloved garden and the surrounding. It meant the world to her. She told me how my visit and the album gave her peace. For the first time in a long time she could look at pictures of the happier times in her life again without breaking down in tears.
Love is something spectacular, that is often spread in such simple and unspectacular gestures. But it changes the thing Jesus loves most: people.
We promissed to stay in contact and, because of the renovation of the house, I did so by sending her a couple of cards. That day however never came, because she passed on soon after our meeting. Eventhough we have only met once, I decided to go to the funeral. That's where I learned how much impact my one visit, the album and the few cards had on her life and mental state. She frequently spoke about me during the last days of her life to those visiting her. But I didn't fully realize the impact I've had on her life, until I was mentioned in her the eulogy.
So here's what I learned precious Marietta: it doesn't take a lot to impact someones life profoundly. Jesus will work through us in the simple small things we do out of love and compassion for another person. Love is something spectacular, that is often spread in such simple and unspectacular gestures. But it changes the thing Jesus loves most: people.
So let's become heroes of love.
Jesus, I want to love people like You do. I'm sorry if I have so often forgotten that being like you, means to have Your heart for others. Please forgive me for my passivity. Will You pour Your heart for the lost and suffering out into mine? I'm willing to cry for their souls. I'm willing to step out to spread Your love, even if that means that I need to step out of my comfortzone. Holy Spirit, will You show me how I can help other people who are suffering? Sometimes I see needs, but I just don't know how I can contribute. I feel helpless. Will You give me the ideas I need to impact someones life and give me the strenght to execute them?
Matthew 25:34-40:
When the Son of Man comest in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal firef prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
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