Strength to Care

When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd

Matthew 9:36 (CEV)

Imagine you’ve lived all over. The way people act at your newest place is abnormal to you. You don’t understand what they’re talking about or why they want to do some things. And when you tell them some of your stories, they look at you like you’re from another planet.

No one here gets you.

Jesus can relate. He came from a place of perfection in Heaven to live with mortals amid all their suffering and sin. He tried to tell us things, but we didn’t get it. No one was like him. No one understood him. And sometimes, they treated him as if he were abnormal!

How did Jesus respond to this? He kept turning his attention to others, not himself. Day after day, he spent his time teaching, talking, healing—loving people. He worked with them and for them to the point of physical exhaustion. And when more came to see him, he had compassion for them.

Jesus knew his life’s mission was to serve others. Right through the agony of the cross, he kept his focus on loving God and loving people.

And he will help us do that, too. When we’re feeling like an outsider, we can follow Jesus’s example and love others. We can connect with them by finding out what is important to them, what scares them, what brings them joy. It takes courage to care like that. Jesus can help us find that strength like he did.

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Instead of focusing on differences with people, look for ways you can say “Same!” with things you agree on. Think of a totally opposite person from you. Then consider things you have in common. This is your common ground!

INSPIRATION

“Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. As long as you can sweeten another’s pain, life is not in vain.”

—Helen Keller, American author and speaker in the late 1800s who was blind and deaf

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 147:3

Isaiah 42:3

Matthew 7:12

Matthew 28:20b