More than an expert!

A few weeks ago I had ongoing pain in my neck (really!) and it drove me to call the doctor’s office. The physician I like to consult was not available so they offered me an appointment with another. He came into the exam room, looked at me quickly, and asked about levels of stress in my life. When I mentioned the critical illness of my Dad he said, “That’s it. It’s stress.” He told me to stop by the pharmacy and pick up the prescription he was writing and he was gone. The entire interaction could not have taken more than 3 minutes! I suppose he is a fine doctor. The framed certificates on the wall gave testimony to his various degrees and expertise. Expert or not, he was, at least for me, a terrible healer! I needed more than a diagnosis and a pill. I needed an explanation about how he reached his conclusion and what I might do to avoid the pain in the future. A little genuine human compassion would have gone a long way that day. He did his job, but failed in his mission.

Disciple, are you a good healer, a compassionate Christian who demonstrates the love of Jesus, or are you just ‘an expert’ in soul matters? We may do our job as witnesses to the Truth and still miss the mission of bringing the Kingdom of God to others! There is an old phrase that bears repeating that says, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

As we interact with those around us who are fearful of the future, who are trying to cope with illness, who have a broken heart, who are wrestling with destructive habits; it is not enough to dispense a Bible verse or a quick prayer. Advice that is on the mark and Biblically based won’t help others all that much if it is not flowing from a compassionate heart. People need more than an expert. They need a friend who really cares.

Jesus told a story about a man who became the victim of muggers, who left him near death on the road. Two men, experts in religion, saw the man but had no time to assist him. Did they pray for him? Perhaps, but they did not touch him. The Samaritan who came along got down and lifted the man up, took him to a place to recover, and paid the bill! He ended His story with this challenge: "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37, NKJV) Among the many lessons from this story I take away this: there is no such thing as touchless healing! We have to be willing to get involved, to be dragged into the messy lives of others, and to walk alongside of those we want to help.

Do you want to see your extended family come to know Christ?
Get involved with their lives. Go to their gatherings. Be part of their celebrations and sorrows.
Are you concerned about the spiritual welfare of the people who live on your street or who work with you?
Forget being the ‘spiritual expert.’ Become human. Let yourself feel what they feel, and share life with them.

Here’s a word from the Word. "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11, NIV)
______________


Touch through me, Holy Spirit, Touch through me.
Let my hands reach out to others
Touch through me.
There's a lonely soul somewhere
Needing just one friend to care.
Touch through me, Holy Spirit, Touch through me.

Flow through me, Holy Spirit, Flow through me.
Like a river in the desert,
Flow through me.
Springing fountain, healing stream,
Living water, pure and clean,
Flow through me, Holy Spirit, Flow through me.

My hands will be Your hands
Reaching out to others.
My lips will not be slothful, Lord, to speak.
I will be that good Samaritan
To someone else in need.
I will be Your house to dwell in live through me.

Touch Through Me
Rambo, Dottie © 1981 John T. Benson Publishing Company (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)CCLI License No. 810055