Recovering From RuinsSample

Be Kind and Compassionate

David gathered his men to begin the pursuit of the Amalekites. On their way, they found an Egyptian who was weak and hadn’t eaten for three days. They gave the Egyptian food to eat and revived him. David and his men were in the mood for warfare because something devastating had just happened to them. However, they were still kind and compassionate to this Egyptian. If they ignored this man, it could have been “excused” because of the task at hand, but they did otherwise. There is a lesson to learn here; kindness and compassion.

Defeat and loss could be devastating, and it can make us feel lonely in our troubles. Therefore we may not see the need to be kind to others. We may be knowingly or unknowingly mean, rude, bitter and condescending to others because we think we are being hit the hardest in life. Their pain notwithstanding, David and his men cared for this man and were interested in his needs.

It turned out that this Egyptian was a slave of the Amalekites who destroyed Ziklag. David got valuable intel from the Egyptian, which was helpful in his mission. The additional time David and his men spent being kind and caring to this frail man accelerated their recovery. They were much quicker in locating the Amalekites. God rewarded the kindness of David.

Could the reason we sometimes wallow in defeat for long be that we have closed our hearts to people we should have blessed with kindness and compassion? Are you ignoring someone that needs your help because you are buried in the rubble of your ruins? Are you watching them drown when you can help? Are you busy sulking about your problems to the point that you have developed a habit of being self-serving and dismissive of others? Do you walk over people not from your race, ethnicity, and social class because it doesn’t appear they can offer you anything?

No matter how much pain we bear, we still have the grace to help alleviate the suffering of others. As you help others recover from defeat, God will send help to your pain points. Therefore, let us strive to maintain a character of kindness and compassion in every season of our lives, be kind and compassionate.

Prayer

Father Lord, increase my capacity to love others irrespective of whatever is happening in my life. Amen.