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?