Who in your life would you do anything to help? Who makes the list, where no mountain is too high or valley too low for you to make every effort to support or rescue them? Unless you are literally Superman then that list is understandable short. Very few of us have the capacity to be rescuing force for more than a handful of people.
As we consider our capacity to be with and around other people, what if we scaled back the question a lot. Who in your life do you have the ability to help in some small way? Who in your life do you have the ability to show kindness? The answer to those questions results in a much longer list. It costs nothing to say good morning.
Unfortunately, many of us have decided that we only really need the shorter of these two lists to make it in the world today. We know what Christians are supposed to do. We know what God would have us do. We know the call Christ has put on our lives. And in response we just say “nah.”
We forget the words of Luke 6:33-35 33 “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
We are not called to help those who help us. We are not called to just be a positive force in the world. We are called to love our enemies. And that’s way harder! As we look at the world, it is easy to see that love is lacking. You don’t have to change your whole life today, but you can make strides towards being more loving to the people around you. Even the people you consider enemies.