60-Second Caring |
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"How are you doing?" you ask. There's a pause before the reply. "You don't really want to know." The eyes look down. The body language says, "If you turn and walk away, I won't blame you."
Often we're unprepared for this golden Response #1: "Want to talk about it?" Listen to understand, not to advise. We usually need acceptance and understanding more than advice. #2: A loving hug or pat on the shoulder. "Love is . . . capable of healing broken minds, bodies and spirits. The touch is the vehicle by which love can be conveyed" (John Hornbrook, The Miracle of Touching [Lafayette, LA: Huntington House, 1985]: 27-28). #3: "Could we pray about it right now?" This shows you care and points to the ultimate Strength. "In everything . . . present your requests to God, and the peace of God . . . will keep you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). #4: "Maybe you can't talk now. Can I call you later?" Some problems can be shared only in private -- the hurt is too deep or the problem too personal. Respect for privacy might provide a chance to serve otherwise unavailable. None of these responses takes very long, but they say loud and clear, "I care about you and what you're going through." They are ways we can "bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). |
| —Steve Singleton DeeperStudy.com |
Want to go deeper?One of the Greek words rendered "care" is epimeleomai. Jesus uses it in Luke 10:34 to describe the action the Compassionate Samaritan did for the beaten-up Jew. Paul applies that same word to the work of church shepherds in 1 Timothy 3:5. He uses a synonym, thalpo, when discusses the way husbands must treat their wives (Ephesians 5:29) and the attitude he has in relating to people as Christ's apostle (1 Thessalonians 2:7). Caring is a decision we make every day as we relate to one another.
Gene A. Getz. Building Up One Another (rev. ed., 1981). Explore 12 significant "one another" commands of the New Testament and follow the practical steps for developing them in your own life and in the life of your church. It's a long-term building process, but one that pleases God and reaps rewards not just in this lifetime but in the next. The body of Christ can't be all that it should be unless we mature in our interpersonal relationships as the Bible commands. This book, the cornerstone of Getz's well known "One Another Series," has now been thoroughly updated and rewritten and for the first time includes a personal and group study guide. Recommended for online reading: Andrew Murray. "Created in Christ for Good Works", chap. 9 in his Working for God (1901). |
moment, thrown off balance by the answer. We must pre-think our response to that situation.
