by Marti Fischer

Have you ever wondered in your tragedy and heartbreak how unconcerned some people can be, going about their own business, unaware of your calamity? You are not alone. Many who are without substance, weak in bodily strength, and despondent in spirit are mostly avoided and sometimes even scorned by others. May Grace be upon the indifference of those who walk by.

Yet as disconcerting and detaching as indifference can be, we who have experienced the Lord’s Grace within our own misery, can with empathy — because of our own unresolved concerns — undertake the needs of the weak, and turn our hearts seriously to the promotion of their welfare. Many of us find ourselves inquiring into their sorrows for the first time, and several of us are sifting out their needs, and finding the best ways to aid in their relief.

Think of yourselves as the beginnings of Grace to many.

First and foremost, and far above all of our pain put together, it is because Jesus cared for us that we care for members of His creation. He executed the wonderful work of Grace by which we are redeemed from the destruction we create. Our miserableness calls forth His Grace! His Grace is always in the present tense.

We receive Grace first through being pardoned from our sin, and, knowing we are forgiven, we then have regard for those in a similar predicament. The forgiven sinner acts for the good of others by exercising kindness and compassion, manifested in helping and taking care of the weak.

And who is that? It’s an anxious parent concerned for her daughter’s lifestyle; a young boy who’s never had enough fathering; a single mother whose worries have washed her hope away; a young person who lives on the Internet and is suspicious of those who come alongside seeking a personal relationship; an old man who inhabits his bleak world alone; a needy soul outside our own front door — all right in front of us.

Days of trouble come even to the most caring, and those who make the wisest provision for rainy days are those who have lent shelter to others when times were better with them. The promise is not that the compassionate person will not have trouble, but that they will be protected in their trouble, and in due time brought out of it.

How true this is of Jesus. Never was the trouble deeper nor the triumph brighter than for Him, and glory be to His name. He secured the ultimate victory for all His blood-bought ones — you and me.

In your suffering, He will comfort you and you too will be lifted up. If you haven’t already, find the joy of doing good, the sweet reaction of another’s happiness, and the approving smile of heaven upon the heart. Recognize the marks of woe in the grocery clerk’s face; the drab, cheerless effort of an executive; the weary wrinkles and the downcast eyes of a waitress. Hear the deep sorrow in the mumbled response to a query, “How are you?” and do not turn away.  You may not have much to give, but what you have, give it with compassion and understanding.

We are the beginnings of Grace to many and must encourage each other to pray for the Lord’s completion of His Grace for each one.

John Newton said on one occasion, “If, as I go home, a child has dropped a halfpenny, and if, by giving another, I can wipe away its tears, I feel I have done something. I should be glad to do greater things, but I will not neglect this.”

Nor will we.

Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;

the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. (Psalm 41:1).

And pray that Grace overcomes the indifference in our selfishness, and that of those around us.