Sensitive To God, Sensitive To Others

To be a follower of Jesus is to love God and love others. There is no way around this simple truth.

I think about this all the time. Humans carry a heart filled with all kinds of pain. I find myself staring at the shoulders of counselors and priests and doctors and mothers, to see what the weight looks like. I find myself thinking that most people sure are extraordinary. I find myself thinking, as I get older and less cocky and less sure and more merciful and more hip to the fact that everyone has scars on their hearts and will, and everyone carries loads or will, and everyone carries their load alone or will, that maybe all people are extraordinary, whether or not I see that clear, and that my seeing it or not seeing it has nothing to do with the reality of grace under duress, which is pretty much the story of the human race. Love carries a lot of pain in its chest. Brian Doyle

God calls us to help each other to get through the pain. The Apostle John tells us that people will know we’re Christ followers by our love for each other. We will embrace the way of Jesus by embracing each other as fellow pilgrims made in the image of God. If we won’t embrace others we are too often the caricature of Christianity that the world sees: Sensitive to God but completely insensitive to others.

Galatians 6:2-10
Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.

Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing what is good.

Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.