Everybody Has a Story

Micah 17:18-19 (KJV) Says "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy." This scripture tells us that God pardons our sins, and that He doesn't remain angry at us forever because He is merciful. God has compassion on us and is merciful toward us as we should be toward one another. Lamentations 3:22 (KJV) says" It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not." This scripture also tells us that the Lord is merciful, and that He is compassionate. It says not only that He is compassionate, but that His compassion does not fail.

We are to live our lives in a manner that reflects our Christian belief's, and being compassionate and merciful is a part of that. There seems to be a huge lack of mercy, and compassion in the world today. This is reflected in posts on various social networks, commentaries, in items covered in the daily news, and on television in general.

Seeing or hearing negative comments regarding homeless people, poor people, people standing out on the streets holding signs that say will work for food, and many other groups is frankly nothing new. The unfortunate thing is that many of these negative comments are made without ever knowing someone's story. That my friends; is a sad state of affairs. When we see a homeless person for example we should have compassion on them. I personally don't know of anyone who would choose to be homeless. These people have a problem of some sort, whether it's financial, job loss, no family or friends to help them in their time of need, an addiction, suffering secondary to a mistake or mistakes they've made, some are suffering from mental illness, and the list goes on and on. Whatever their story, and we all have a story, I feel certain they are not happy being homeless. I am not naive and therefore, I am well aware that there are some people out there that are just scamming folks because they're lazy. I think it is unfortunate when anyone chooses to take advantage of someone who is willing to help others. I don't however feel that these people make up the bulk of the homeless population. For instance, we have homeless military veterans in this country, and ex- college professors. Those are just a couple of examples of how homelessness is not prejudice.

When we see people in trouble the very least we can do is not make snide comments or be disrespectful to them. We have no idea how they landed where they are in life. We need to pray for these people, and show compassion on them. We need to thank God we are not where they are. If we opt to give them money or food we will be rewarded for it. If we give to someone who is scamming, then God will handle them, and we will still be rewarded for our good deed.

It seems that the hearts of many humans are growing colder and harder with each day that passes, and I think that's a shame. We were created in the image of God, and he is full of compassion and mercy. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, then you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, and should have the desire in your heart to show others compassion and mercy. The next time you come across someone who is struggling in life, I urge you to remember that you don't know their story. Ask yourself where you would be if you lost your job and couldn't find another one, became mentally or physically ill, disabled, and in facing any of these issues you had no family or friends. I encourage you to be more compassionate toward others, and to remember that the Word of God tells us that we will always have the poor among us. God sees how we treat one another so I hope you can find it in your heart to pray for the homeless people you come across whether they're legitimate in your eyes or not because that's not for us to judge, and because if you think about it legitimate or not both need it.

If you have a prayer request, and would like me to pray for you please leave me a message, and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!