WHO CARES?

“They got themselves into this pickle; they can get themselves out!”

“She made her bed; she can sleep in it!”

Maybe you’ve never said those things; maybe you’ve never even thought those things! You must be a very caring person, so this blog is probably not for you!

But, for the rest of us… “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”

I have tried not to say it, but I know I have thought the previous phrases about several situations over the years and yes, sometimes it is even true. In these cases, someone usually needs to find his/her way back to a God who loves and cares for them. And, as we know, He will help lift them out of the miry clay in which they find themselves.

Then there are others… The Word speaks to raining on the just and the unjust. When this happens, it is a wide-open door for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing love and compassion to those in a desperate time of need.

As a pastor’s wife, I have had church members and friends step up to show care, cook a meal, and help me many times, but especially when I had my children, a surgery, a baby, or the passing of a family member. It is those times when we feel the prayers of the saints and the fact that Jesus is holding us in His hands but using His people. Oftentimes, because we are in ministry and minister to many, it comes back to us quickly!

But who does this for the victims of a hurricane or natural disaster? Who does this for the one who is not plugged into a local body?

We need to reach out. Show the love of Jesus; whether it is to the cashier, to a widow, to someone you see struggling. Sometimes it is in our ability to reach out personally with a meal, a gift card, an encouraging Word, but always a prayer! Other times, it is often simply prayer and monetary needs.

Be the first to give in the offering when the pastor asks for an offering to help, knowing that your pastor would not ask if there were not a desperate need.

Who cares? Is it just another offering? What if it is you or your family member? In desperation? How would you respond or want others to respond? Or someone who needs clean water? What if it is the water needed for your child or grand baby?

The best example is the Good Samaritan. As we treat others the way we want them to treat us, we will be blessed, and the love of Jesus will shine through. It is a matter of the heart.

Who cares? I hope YOU will!

Debbie Page serves alongside her husband, Kelvin Page, pastor at Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee and President of Operation Compassion. She and her husband have three sons and daughters-in-law who have given them seven amazing grandchildren!