Caring Still Matters — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

Dr Paul Brand is a name remembered and loved by many especially in India. He was an orthopedic surgeon by training, and served as a medical missionary in India, where he became a specialist in the disease leprosy.

In our own country leprosy is hardly ever mentioned because it is so rare. But in parts of India, it is still a devastating reality.

Leprosy is a devastatingly lonely disease. In many countries its victims are kicked out of their homes, rejected by the community, and sometimes forced to live outdoors, by a pile of rocks or in a cave. They lose contact with other humans. Dr Brand explains of one remarkable encounter:

“I was examining the hands of a young man, trying to explain to him in my broken Tamil that we could halt the progress of the disease, and perhaps restore some movement to his hand. I expected him to smile in response, but instead he began to shake with muffled sobs. ‘Have I said something wrong?’ I asked my assistant in English. ‘Did he misunderstand me?’ She quizzed him in a spurt of Tamil and replied, ‘No, doctor. He says he is crying because you put your hand around his shoulder. Until he came here no one had touched him for many years.’”

Dr Paul Brand, a committed Christian, devoted his life to finding a cure for leprosy and making the lives of so many lepers in India productive and better. He wrote about his life growing up on the mission field in India and then returning there with a young wife after completing his medical training.

He was a surgeon but moved into hand care because hands had always seemed the perfect work of God. Being in full-time medical mission work overseas is time consuming beyond imagination because the needs are so great. His wife, an eye surgeon, was equally busy. Trying to serve God through medicine, meeting the overwhelming needs of the people they served, and raising a family is without a doubt a huge task. Although his six children loved India, his work often took precedence over his family needs, and they suffered. His service to India has made an impact on lepers that will never be forgotten. This truly was love in action – because Paul Brand cared enough for others who needed his skills.

Caring for others is not easy – it can be difficult and emotionally draining. Just ask your local nurse who puts in extra hours to care for their patients in a busy hospital ward. We admire people like Mother Teresa of Calcutta who earned worldwide admiration for her care of the poor and forgotten in Calcutta.

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She only had one goal: to show the love of Jesus through her unselfish devotion.

One of the best things we can feel is love from someone else. Their genuine caring for our well-being. And you and I have the power and ability to give this gift to someone, just by caring about them. Being a caring individual helps us to strengthen our relationships and develop meaningful emotional connections with others. When we allow ourselves to show care to those around us, we are truly allowing ourselves to live happier, more complete lives.

Did you know it matters to God if you are a caring person? In the NT the Bible says in 1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Since God is love and we’re made in His image, we must reflect His love in our interactions with all of His creations. We can most readily reflect God’s love for the world by caring for each other. It’s the one sign that makes the Christian stand apart from others, as was evident in the early church.

And Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” – which included everyone we come across, whether we like them or not. That is true caring. What have you done lately to show care for others? In these current days, there is likely no shortage of ways to care for each other. For example, figure out what support people might need.

Everyone is different so it’s important to ask how you can help and then really listen to what they say. Make sure that the ways you offer to help are what they need, not what you think they need or what you would want someone to do for you. It’s easy to assume you know what they need, but it’s crucial that you ask!

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