Loving Others
By Tracy Smith
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of the others."
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of the others."
Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)
A
couple of months ago, while on Facebook, I came across a video about a middle
school football team who plotted and planned to help one of their teammates
score a touchdown. [1] This teammate had special needs. In some
schools, he may have been the object of bullying - - and maybe this boy had
been in the past, or is dealing with bullies in other areas of school - - but
not on his football team. These friends cared enough about him to plan
something so amazing for him.
The
plan went like this: His teammates got the ball as close to the goal line as
possible. In the next play, they gave him the ball and surrounded him to
protect him from the defense and ran with him across the goal line. TOUCHDOWN!
As
touching as that was, it was the interviews with the boys on the team that
brought tears to my eyes. One boy had tears tracking down his cheeks because he
had not thought of the plan. He talked about how he had changed from someone
who only cared about himself to someone who cared about everyone. What a life-changing
lesson these young men learned!
The
Lord wants us to care about everyone - - not just those we see as “popular” or who
are worth our caring. He also wants us to care for others - - not just when
it’s easy, but even when it’s hard. Philippians 2:4 tells us to intentionally look
to the interests of others. In John
13:34-35 (NIV), Jesus says, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another.” Jesus wants us to be known by how we love.
May
we be like the young men in this school. May we be those who are kind and care
about everyone; who love.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Is there someone in your life who could use
some encouragement? If so, what can you do to make him or her feel special?
FURTHER READING:
Along
with being a wife and mother to two boys, Tracy
is an administrative assistant at Oakwood, serves on the Women’s Ministry
Special Events Team and leads a great group of Junior High girls.
