Have you ever helped someone but received no appreciation or recognition?
Was your immediate thought any of these: “Hmm, maybe they didn’t realize it was I who helped them” or “Wow, their parents didn’t teach them any common courtesy”……how about this; “Well, see if I do anything nice for them again.”?
Why do we feel we must get something if we give something, sounds very worldly doesn’t it? Does one person deserve more than another simply because he or she is grateful?
What if a person made a poor choice many years ago, and repented; why must we continue to teach them the lesson it was wrong, by not helping them? (WWJD)
I would definitely say we are drawn to do more for a grateful person, but what if the ungrateful person never learned it therefore cannot give what they do not have?
Perhaps their pain was so great and why you’re helping them in the first place, is not allowing them to be grateful at all?
Let’s use an analogy of an emergency room; it’s late at night and the chairs are full, or enough that folks would need to sit next to each other. Do you think those people in pain are having conversations about all they are grateful for? In my experience, the focus is primarily on why no one has called their name yet, and how much longer they can endure the pain before getting into see the doctor for some relief.
Physical pain can often be immediately resolved with pain medication. Upon relief of said pain that person tends to be very grateful to the provider, however phycological pain is more complex, even a licensed therapist will schedule months or years of appointments to help heal those wounds of the past. Compassion is the medicine for these types of injuries.
Matthew 5:43 – 6:4 ~ “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brother only, what do you do more than others: do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you they have their reward.”
All I can say is Thank God for Jesus, and sending the Holy Spirit to help!
Our human nature does not like humility, being lowly, or doing nice things for hateful people, but here’s the truth; those so called hateful people are just like you and me, dealing with pain, different kinds of pain, the kind of pain only God can heal. Christ followers who have experienced healing are to show the light of Jesus, and what grace, compassion and mercy looks like because they received it themselves. Let’s be the example of what Christ looks like to those who don’t know Him yet, maybe just maybe they will want to know Him as we do.
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