By Chris WittsSaturday 30 Apr 2022Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
Theodore Roosevelt was supposed to have said, ”People don’t care about how much you know, until they know how much you care”. You may have heard that popular statement—it’s often quoted by motivational speakers and authors.
I like the meaning—it has a profound message in whatever way you think about it: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. To express it in simple terms, people want to know that you do care for them. It may seem very simple, but in practice it’s not that easy. We are complex human beings—getting on with others is not always straightforward.
I’m sure you realise that. Have you ever been in a conversation and you sense that he or she is not really listening? They look around the room, or over your shoulder. They don’t look straight at you. In business, it’s called ‘customer relations’—and staff are regularly trained to care for the individual customer, although that doesn’t always happen.
Relationships can make or break us. Our relationships, at home or work, are crucial to a happy life. No-one wants to be fighting or feuding—we prefer to get along nicely with others. All the skills and education in the world will never impress anyone as much as your care and warmth towards them. You can have knowledge and skill, yet be a cold hearted-person.
Theodore Roosevelt also said, “The most important single ingredient to the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people”. Part of that means you need to care—one person at a time.
Caring for One Another
Our problem today is the busyness of life. Everyone is in too much of a hurry to look out for others. Just getting through today is bad enough, let alone worrying about others!
There was a special Olympics for handicapped children. And one event was the 220-yard dash. The young people lined up at the starting line, and when the gun fired, they started running as fast as they could. Andrew quickly took the lead and was soon about 50 yards ahead of everybody else. As he approached the final turn, he looked back. His best friend had fallen and hurt himself. Andrew stopped, looked at the finish line and then went back to his friend. People were yelling for him to Keep running.
But no. He didn’t. He went back and helped his friend up off the ground. And hand in hand, they crossed the finish line at last position. But everyone cheered. Why? Because there are some things more important than finishing first. Maybe that’s why Solomon, in the Old Testament, wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: ”Two are better than one. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up”.
Karl Menninger was one of the most famous psychiatrists in the 1930s. He worked for almost 70 years helping others. He wrote several books and received several honours. He was also a devout Christian who was once asked, “If someone felt a nervous breakdown coming on, what would you suggest he do?” And he said, “I would urge you to find somebody else with a serious problem and get involved with that individual, helping him/her solve their problem”. Good advice, because in doing that, no longer are you thinking of yourself—you’re thinking of others. You can care for others, because it’s the right thing to do.
I think one of the reasons people go to church is that they will find others who will care for them. Generally, that’s true. You walk inside a good church and most people will offer you a welcome, a handshake and say, We’re glad to see you. That’s one strength of your local church. Everyone there is equal, offering care and understanding, no matter who you are, regardless of your background. If your church is not like that, leave it and find another.
Jesus Shows the Way
The Christian faith has strong teaching on this topic of caring for one another. Someone has wisely written this: “Ninety-nine percent of everything you do in life is attitude. If you have a relationship with God, and you have the right attitude; you’re going to learn to ask the one question in life that covers everything: How can I help you?”
How nice it is to have that question asked, How can I help you today? Jesus said: “I’m giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35). Jesus also said: “‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:39-40).
Recall what Jesus himself did—he loved and cared for others. He wasn’t afraid to touch them. In one village, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. The leper fell at the feet of Jesus, face down in the dust, begging to be healed. Jesus reached out in compassion and healed him. Other religious leaders wouldn’t touch him because it was against their rules. But Jesus didn’t care about their rules!
A woman had been bleeding for years and Jesus healed her; the blind men he touched and gave back their sight; the crippled experienced his divine touch and care. I think the reason we sometimes don’t go out of our way to care for others is that we are selfish.
Towards the end of the movie Schindler’s List, Oscar Schindler sees the people he had helped, but wished he had done more. He looks at his car and wished he had sold the car to free 10 more people. He takes a pin off his shirt and wishes he could have sold it to save one more person. This man gave away his fortune to help others. He wished he had done more.