By Josie Siler
I don’t want to look. I can’t look. I have to look.
Have you seen them? Photographs of displaced peoples looking for a safe place to live – men, women, and children who perished on the way to an unknown destination. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. There is so much suffering happening in our world today. Terror, persecution, murder, hate, floods, fires, drought, starvation. The list could go on and on.
Watching the news is difficult. Hearing of and seeing so many people suffering so deeply is absolutely unbearable.
“Josie,” you say, “I’m suffering too much myself. I’m in the fight of my life over here just trying to survive. I can’t possibly help anyone else. I can’t even help myself.”
I hear you. I understand. Your suffering is indeed great. I don’t want to add to your burden. However, life isn’t as kind as I am. Right now, life around us reads like a tragedy.
It’s easier to look away. Don’t read. Don’t watch. Don’t listen. Don’t see. It’s easier that way.
It may be easier, for a time. But what happens when it’s your friend? Your family member? Your loved one? What happens when you need help? Don’t you want others to care then? Don’t you want others to care now?
The thing about caring is it makes us human. Each time we stop caring, when we block out the world and the things happening in it, we lose a piece of our humanity.
So what can we do? You were right; it’s hard to do much when we’re sick and need help ourselves. However, 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 (NLT) gives us a few ideas.
I don’t want to look. I can’t look. I have to look.
Have you seen them? Photographs of displaced peoples looking for a safe place to live – men, women, and children who perished on the way to an unknown destination. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. There is so much suffering happening in our world today. Terror, persecution, murder, hate, floods, fires, drought, starvation. The list could go on and on.
Watching the news is difficult. Hearing of and seeing so many people suffering so deeply is absolutely unbearable.
“Josie,” you say, “I’m suffering too much myself. I’m in the fight of my life over here just trying to survive. I can’t possibly help anyone else. I can’t even help myself.”
I hear you. I understand. Your suffering is indeed great. I don’t want to add to your burden. However, life isn’t as kind as I am. Right now, life around us reads like a tragedy.
It’s easier to look away. Don’t read. Don’t watch. Don’t listen. Don’t see. It’s easier that way.
It may be easier, for a time. But what happens when it’s your friend? Your family member? Your loved one? What happens when you need help? Don’t you want others to care then? Don’t you want others to care now?
The thing about caring is it makes us human. Each time we stop caring, when we block out the world and the things happening in it, we lose a piece of our humanity.
So what can we do? You were right; it’s hard to do much when we’re sick and need help ourselves. However, 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 (NLT) gives us a few ideas.
Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.
The first step is to care. I can’t tell you how vitally important it is to care about and love others. We need to be good to each other. We need to be kind to each other, even if we are different or believe different things. That doesn’t give us an excuse to not care. We need to challenge, encourage, and care for our fellow human beings. We just do. No excuses.
The second step is to pray. Chronically ill people often have a secret weapon at our disposal called time. Many of us can’t work, but we can pray. We can pray from our beds, we can pray while we’re waiting in the doctor’s office, we can pray while we’re in the car.
Time is precious, and there isn’t a better use for it than talking to God. When you thank Him and ask Him to intervene in our dark world, you will be blessed. Another natural product of prayer is joy. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances we can be filled with joy if we are in communion with our Lord.
The last step is to be informed. Don’t assume you know what God is doing in a situation. He can bring great good out of the most evil of circumstances. Look for where the Holy Spirit is working and join Him in prayer.
There’s a lot of information flying around the internet and news channels these days and it’s hard to know what is true. Test everything. Bring it to the Word of God and see if it lines up with what the Bible has to say. Keep what is good and true, and throw out the rest.
There is evil in the world today, so much evil. However, our God is a great God and He is victorious! Can I get an Amen?! The light will shine in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. If God is in you, His light is in you.
We all have a light within us and it’s time to let it out. Together we are better and together our lights shine brighter, making this dark world we live in a brighter and a better place. Are you ready to let your light shine? Are you ready to care, to pray, and to become informed? If so, let out your battle cry, we’ve got a war with the darkness to win!
The second step is to pray. Chronically ill people often have a secret weapon at our disposal called time. Many of us can’t work, but we can pray. We can pray from our beds, we can pray while we’re waiting in the doctor’s office, we can pray while we’re in the car.
Time is precious, and there isn’t a better use for it than talking to God. When you thank Him and ask Him to intervene in our dark world, you will be blessed. Another natural product of prayer is joy. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances we can be filled with joy if we are in communion with our Lord.
The last step is to be informed. Don’t assume you know what God is doing in a situation. He can bring great good out of the most evil of circumstances. Look for where the Holy Spirit is working and join Him in prayer.
There’s a lot of information flying around the internet and news channels these days and it’s hard to know what is true. Test everything. Bring it to the Word of God and see if it lines up with what the Bible has to say. Keep what is good and true, and throw out the rest.
There is evil in the world today, so much evil. However, our God is a great God and He is victorious! Can I get an Amen?! The light will shine in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. If God is in you, His light is in you.
We all have a light within us and it’s time to let it out. Together we are better and together our lights shine brighter, making this dark world we live in a brighter and a better place. Are you ready to let your light shine? Are you ready to care, to pray, and to become informed? If so, let out your battle cry, we’ve got a war with the darkness to win!
“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen,
for he who calls you is faithful.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NLT)
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