Not long ago, I got up in the middle of the night and headed to the pantry for a snack. On the way, I stubbed my toe on the bed. Man, it hurt! I bruised it pretty badly but went back to bed and forgot about it until the next day.
Until Tamara and I were dancing to an old record in our living room. My wife is pretty coordinated, but my feet don’t always end up where they’re supposed to be. She accidentally stepped on my bruised toe, and I immediately yelled, “OUCH!”
My toe hurt so much because it was already bruised. And that’s a lot like people. Sometimes when we try to speak truth into someone’s life, they don’t respond well because they’re carrying bruises we can’t see. Bruises of the heart are just as real as bruises on the body.
When someone touches those tender places, it hurts. It’s not always that people don’t want to do what’s right. Many are simply carrying pain. The fire inside them is barely burning, and if we’re not careful with our words, we can extinguish that flame instead of fanning it into a fire.
Jesus shows us this kind of compassionate in the story of the Good Samaritan. He demonstrates how love reaches people who’ve been wounded, rejected, or taken advantage of. There is a way to walk hurting people toward healing.
But before we can influence others, should ask ourselves an important question: Do my choices and my conduct make it obvious that I have received the salvation Jesus offers to everyone?
That’s where it all begins. We aren’t saved because we know the right things to do. We’re saved because we made the most important decision of our lives—we trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
As believers, we should remember that just as hurt people often hurt people, saved people should help save people. God has placed us in this world to bring hope, healing, and His love wherever we go.
If we aren’t helping those who are hurting, who will? If we aren’t blessing people, who will? If we don’t have compassion for those who are far from God, who will?
We can’t meet every need or fix every problem. But we can listen and encourage. We can bandage wounds. But lasting transformation comes only through Jesus Christ. We can all experience forgiveness through His blood, the power of the Holy Spirit, and a brand-new life.
Every one of us has the opportunity to start a revolution of hope in our families, workplaces, and communities. It begins when we take time to understand people’s pain, show compassion and do good whenever we can. This opens hearts toward God’s redemption.
Rather than thinking for people, let’s think with them. And help them see life through the lens of God’s truth and the hope He offers. Then, by both our words and our example, we can point them to a future that’s possible through a life surrendered to Him!
