Don't ignore the pain of others
Hebrews 13:3 NLT
"Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. "
I'll be honest here. I don't understand how someone can keep their hearts raw enough to do this and keep doing it over an extended period of time. Especially now, when we have access to virtually unlimited amounts of information from all over the world, along with the knowledge of a virtually unlimited number of atrocities that people afflict upon each other, even one of which would be difficult to feel the pain of for an extended period of time.
So it seems obvious to me that we can't continually feel the pain of all people everywhere. Let us remember the fact that God will never ask us to do something that we are unable to do in Him. I think what this passage is saying is really something fundamental: love your neighbor as yourself. They are not worth any less than you are, and should be considered and treated in such a way. Our way of thinking about the plight of others should never be "well, good thing it's not me." While it IS of course a good thing that it's not "me", it's still a bad thing that it's "them," and we should never harden our hearts to forget that. As tempting as it may be to drown out our troubles or that of those around us, if we do so we end up killing our hearts, and lose our power to walk in and build up the Kingdom of God, as the power of His Kingdom is love.
Jesus prophesied that in the last days the love of many would grow cold due to the abundance of people harming each other. But, He said, "he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matt.12:24-25). I remember when I was a teenager reading this passage and not really understanding how your love could grow cold just because of the bad things other people do in the world. Now I do.
The good news is, it doesn't end here. God will make everything right once again. But if it's hard enough for those of us who believe that to continue in faith, hope, and love, imagine how difficult it will be for those who do not believe that, who as things get worse and worse continue to believe that only man can save himself.
Let us not grow weary in well doing, let us not let the lack of love in those around us cause us to harden our own hearts, but let us persevere in the love of Christ, remembering that we can love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and that this state we are in is not permanent, but that one day God "will wipe every tear from [our] eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Rev.21:4).
Come Lord Jesus.
Created 5 months ago
