I have to admit that, at the moment (as I write), I am a little disappointed. I am disappointed in human beings! It seems that, because of the pressure people are under – because of the busyness of life and the many things there always are to do, some people have forgotten how to be friendly, to be polite, to care for one another.
I have found myself in at least a few situations lately, where the basic needs of people have been addressed but that’s as far as it has gone. The practical needs have been met, but what about the pastoral needs, the spiritual needs, the way a smile or a friendly gesture can make all the difference to a person? It doesn’t take much, or very long at all, to at least acknowledge a person, and show them they are valued.
We think a lot of ourselves, because of this materialistic and individualistic society that we live in, with so much out there saying, ‘You deserve it!’, ‘You can have this!’, ‘Why should you have to wait?’ etc. We stop thinking of others, therefore, and much more about ourselves. And this is how, it seems, that human values and human nature – to care, to love, to support and to help – have gone out of the window, to a large extent!
As Christians, we have opportunities to reverse this trend. We can show, through our behaviour, that we still have time to care, to smile, to spend time with others; to show people that they are of great value, and worthy of receiving the respect and attention that any human being would want. Think about the times when you have been paid attention, when you have received a welcome smile, a word of encouragement, a handshake or a hug – remember how that feels, and just what it means to you. It really doesn’t take much to show that we care, so let’s not let those precious and vitally important elements of our lives slip away into oblivion.
I have found myself in at least a few situations lately, where the basic needs of people have been addressed but that’s as far as it has gone. The practical needs have been met, but what about the pastoral needs, the spiritual needs, the way a smile or a friendly gesture can make all the difference to a person? It doesn’t take much, or very long at all, to at least acknowledge a person, and show them they are valued.
We think a lot of ourselves, because of this materialistic and individualistic society that we live in, with so much out there saying, ‘You deserve it!’, ‘You can have this!’, ‘Why should you have to wait?’ etc. We stop thinking of others, therefore, and much more about ourselves. And this is how, it seems, that human values and human nature – to care, to love, to support and to help – have gone out of the window, to a large extent!
As Christians, we have opportunities to reverse this trend. We can show, through our behaviour, that we still have time to care, to smile, to spend time with others; to show people that they are of great value, and worthy of receiving the respect and attention that any human being would want. Think about the times when you have been paid attention, when you have received a welcome smile, a word of encouragement, a handshake or a hug – remember how that feels, and just what it means to you. It really doesn’t take much to show that we care, so let’s not let those precious and vitally important elements of our lives slip away into oblivion.