Do We Really Care?

It has been put to me that people in our community don't care anymore. More specifically, it's people in the CHURCH community.

Is this true?

Because if it is, I think the audacity of its occurrence challenges the very grain of what Christ's message - the one who exhorts us to "love your neighbour as yourself" and said that "greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

How can we profess to be willing to lay down our lives when we close our hearts? We don't even raise our hands in greeting!

I argued that it can't be true. That the statement was maybe a portion - a very shameful portion - in the community of Christ-followers.

Or is it?

When was the last time you asked, "How are you?" and stayed to hear the answer, sticking around to allow the other to pour out the grievances of the week?

When loved ones of your friends and acquaintances pass away, do you drop a note to see how you can help? Do you express your condolences? Even on an FB wall?

When you go out a group do you bother waiting for EVERYONE and include ANYONE who might be seeking acceptance? Do you offer little conveniences like sending someone home or running to the grocery store for a bit?

When a mum is exhausted do you offer to watch the kid, even if it's for 10 minutes?

When a kid goes overseas do you offer to pray and keep in touch and make crazy jokes about the things he/she's gonna do there? Do you even say goodbye?

When your leader is tied up by the many things in his sphere... do you offer to do the one task where you can help?

When someone's sick, dying, or dead - do you visit? Send flowers and balloons? Bring food? Cry?

When someone starts a first day at work or school, or is collecting results, do you text an encouragement?

When someone has a celebration - a birthday, a new home, a baby, anything at all - do you participate? Is that not a way of saying, "I care, therefore I want to share your joy?"

When someone has been away for so long, do you indicate that he/she is missed? How? Telepathy?

I, for one, REFUSE to believe that we do not care anymore. I REFUSE to believe that we are people too sucked into our own lives to care for others.

But I'm scared to find out that it is true. It would be truly ironic if we profess to want to do GREATER THINGS in the community OUTSIDE the church if we can't seem to reach out to the people WITHIN.

I will think about this tonight. I hope, I really hope, I can prove the statement wrong.

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