I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
Crafted With the Utmost Care
Although in this Psalm David is praising the Lord for how he himself was made, it holds true that God made everyone with the same care, precision, and love. All people are uniquely crafted, precious, and equally valuable in God’s eyes. In theory, it’s easy to agree with this statement, yet it can quickly break down in practice.
People Can Be Cruel
My heart has always gone out to the underdog, those who get picked on by others who believe they are somehow superior.
In the middle of my first-grade school year a new girl, Diane, joined our class. At that young age she was already overweight. My classmates saw weakness and circled like blood-thirsty sharks, calling her fat, stupid, and worse. She was ostracized from day one, and my little six-year-old heart felt her pain, but the only advice I could give was flawed.
In those days we were taught to say “sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me.” But that isn’t true. Names do hurt. They hurt Diane deeply.
My teacher was a wise woman who must have recognized my compassion toward Diane. She put me to work, asking me to help Diane learn how to tie her shoes. For a couple days during recess, I tried my best to teach her but failed and was taken off the case.
Looking back on it now, I could have taken the step to befriend her, but I didn’t. Even at age six, peer pressure was real. I was too afraid to do what I knew was the right thing.
I don’t remember Diane finishing that year of school. Perhaps her family moved. I’ll never know for sure what became of her. But decades later, I still remember her and the pain I saw in her eyes every time those selfish, thoughtless bullies picked on her.
Pray for the Lord to Give You His Compassion
We all know people who are awkward, weird, strange — call it what you will — they’re “different.” Instead of avoiding them, reach out to them. Each intentional interaction provides us with a chance to demonstrate God’s love by the way we choose to interact with them. There are many places in the Gospels that say Jesus was moved with compassion, including Matthew 14:14, Mark 1:41, Mark 6:34. Pray and ask the Lord to give you his compassion, that you might show it to those around you who need it today. Reach out to those who are “different.” Get to know them, and don’t be surprised when God reveals the precious gold he has woven into them that you didn’t see before. You will both be richer for knowing one another.
Featured photo by Dave Lowe on Unsplash; In-text photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash.
