When We Only Help Others Because “The Bible Tells Us So”.

As Christians it’s easy to fall into the trap of caring for others because “the bible tells us so”. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been caring for or serving someone, but were kind of annoyed about the fact that you “had to”?

I have.

And I have also been on the other side of the table; being cared for by someone who obviously doesn’t care all that much.

Neither position is doing anything all that great for anyone.

You see, we think that as long as we are going through the motions of caring that it is enough, but it’s actually kind of not. It’s not the real thing.

It’s fake.

Of course we’re not robots and not everyone can be on all the time. I, of all people, get that. I can care for one person at a time and I need a serious emotional break in between, that’s just how I work.

But in the meantime, when we need a break from caring for someone else, let’s not pretend, okay?

Let’s not ask people how they are doing and then tune out when they really tell us how they are.

Let’s not offer to do something for someone else and then get annoyed when we have to follow through.

Let’s not just be nice to be nice, but let’s actually be nice to each other because we all know that life is hard and scary and complicated sometimes.

It’s not enough to say all the right things and do all the right things. It’s just not. Our hearts must be in it. Jesus didn’t tell us to just go through the motions of loving people, he said,

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

So yeah. That seems pretty straight forward.

{picture courtesy of Holley Gerth}