Bottle of water

While on a recent flight I noticed an older man, sitting two rows in  
front of me, struggling with his unopened bottle of water that had  
been pressurized.

 A soldier sitting in front of me also noticed the struggle. He  
reached out and offered to open the bottle for the older gentleman.  
The gentleman expressed his thankfulness for the assistance as he  
started to enjoy the water.

Why did I not offer to help? Am I not strong enough? No.

The compassionate act by the soldier showed how he has learned from  
his training to look out for others besides himself. I would expect  
nothing less in the field of battle, but this was a crowded flight and he was not on  
duty.

Thinking back, I have received a training to look at others greater  
than myself. As a follower of Christ we are to seek the needs of  
others before ourselves.

Philippians 2:3-5

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility  
consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not  
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.   
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

I see the big struggles of others and will gladly offer assistance,  
but seem to ignore the little things throughout the day. I don’t know  
where you are today, but if you are like me, I ask you to join me in a  
challenge to be like the soldier.

How much compassion would be felt by complete strangers if we held  
unswervingly to the words of Paul?