Love and Comfort
We explore the need for love and support of one another.
2/13/20244 min read
Part of believing in God is showing that you have faith. It is not JUST about having faith. Sometimes God calls you to do something for him. That means we need to be receptive to God’s requests. You never know when he may call upon you. Let me try to break it down for you.
As I mentioned before, I am no expert. I am a layman who is trying to find his way with God. I have known for a long time that God has had a plan for me. For a while, I chose not to accept it. At other times I chose not to listen. But it was always there in the back of my mind. He wanted me to spread His Word. I chose to do it through this blog. But sometimes asks us to go outside our comfort zone. This just happened to me.
My Failure
I chose this topic because of something that happened the other night. My daughter needed to go to the emergency room because of an issue with her leg. We had no idea if it was simply sprained, or broken, or if something much worse was happening. My mind was focused on my daughter. The ER was pretty busy so we had to wait. I decided to read a book.
Suddenly, a conversation got my ear. I looked up to see a woman in a wheelchair who was obviously in distress. She was upset because she had been there a long time and no one seemed to care. She said she needed to get out of there because she could not take it any longer. However, the fact that she was homeless meant she had nowhere to go. I felt bad for her.
The nurse she was talking to was smiling. My first thought was that that was a strange reaction to have considering the situation. I do know that some people smile in situations where they are uncomfortable. But as the nurse turned to walk away, I realized the real issue. The nurse did not care. There was a mocking expression on her face.
Now that made me mad! I had to do something about this situation. But suddenly, my strength left me. I had never handled this situation like this before. How could I help? I could tell God wanted me to do something. And as I continued to sit there, the voice got louder in the back of my head. Get up! But then other voices jumped in. What if she was sick? What if I caught something and spread it to my daughter? What if my wife got mad that I was putting their health at risk?
At that point, the lady went to the bathroom. I felt sick to my stomach. God calls on us to serve others and to comfort them. How can I say that I love God when I do not do his service? I decided that I would go get water and I would wait for her to come out of the bathroom. I would sit and talk with her and comfort her. After a few minutes, my daughter’s name was called and we were taken back. My moment to shine was gone.
Simon Peter’s Failures
Why did I hesitate? I cannot tell you. But I found it interesting when I was reading the Bible later that I came across a verse where the Apostle Peter, the Rock of God’s Church, failed similarly. Peter was one of the first people to bring the Gentiles into the worship of God. He was with Jesus when Jesus spoke this message. He brought the message to them personally.
But in Galatians 2:11-14, Peter finds himself in a situation where he could sit and eat with the Gentiles. The custom at the time was that you only ate with people you approved of. There were Jews around the area. Peter was afraid that he might be judged by them. So, he decided to not eat with them. It took Paul coming forward and pointing out the hypocrisy of his actions to realize his error.
Being Uncomfortable
So, what is the connection between these two stories? We were both forced outside of our comfort zone. There are times in our lives when we are called into unpleasant situations. My wife is a nurse and I have seen her stop at an accident scene to see if she could help. I have always admired her for that. My situation was far simpler. I knew what I needed to do, but I did not do it. I will not let my discomfort stop me next time.
Peter’s situation is a teaching moment. At the time of this incident, Peter was already the leader of the church. He was personally chosen by Jesus. Through his Faith in Jesus, he performed amazing miracles. But Peter was still human. Even he failed at times. It was a rare moment of weakness that he quickly atoned for. We must learn from his example.
Parting Words
Matthew 22:35-40 explains this point very well. People often view the Ten Commandments as a list of things to avoid doing. But Jesus reminds us that there is a bigger purpose. By following the commandments, we show each other love. Here is Jesus’s own words:
Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."