Did you ever follow anyone into a place with which you were unfamiliar? There has been more than one time when I was so glad someone was with me who knew where they were going…they had been there before and It saved me a lot of heartache and disappointment.
Life can be that way too. We all must grow, mature, learn, travel, experience and learn. If we don’t, we die. Now, you’ve had people in your life who have showed you a few things. When my boys were in junior high, I taught them how to pump gas, change a flat tire, remove and change out a car battery, and check the oil. These are basic things one needs to know to operate a vehicle. They could have learned on their own but because I was invested in them, had a relationship with them, wanted them to succeed in life, I showed them these things without them asking.
There are other, more important things we should be teaching as well. But in order for the teaching to be received well, we need a relationship or built rapport with that person. We create credibility with people through shared life experience and developing trust along the way. We typically see this most often with our spouse and children, but it can extend to friend-circles and coworkers.
I mean, how do you know someone is compassionate or honest or thoughtful or tender or real or grounded? It happens when we have a relationship with them and the deeper the relational tie, the more we see these things. This happens when we choose to be with others and travel with them.
Jesus showed us what that really looks like. Matthew 9 tells us Jesus had compassion on the crowds. His actions in his life tell us how compassionate a person he truly lived out. Matthew 20 is an example of him physically touching someone to heal them. We all need human interaction, especially touch, to be reminded someone cares for us. We learn how to comfort and be compassionate by looking at Jesus’ life and in turn we discover how that looks as we interact with others.
So, take time to build relationship. Go slow and see whose path you can light. Others around you are looking for a caring, compassionate person to help light their way. Pick one person and change how you interact with them. Choose three people over the course of a year to walk with. Take time to give hugs and handshakes. Affirm those around you with positive, encouraging words. You’ll find that as you take the time to imitate Jesus and lift others, you will be lifted as well. Blessings on the journey.