Who do you care for in your life? Do you care for your children, spouse, siblings, parents, family members, friends, or coworkers? Are you a nurturing person that desires to care for others and make sure that they feel loved? As a child were you the one who made sure that the left out child felt included, that the one who fell was helped back up, that the one who missed his mommy received a hug? Nurturers can usually be spotted as children. Then there are others who just love so deeply they want to help those whom they love.
Then there are those of us who wish no ill will to anyone but are not warm, fuzzy, cuddly, or overly caring. It’s sometimes more difficult to nurture others because of the way it is expected that we express that care. However, everyone should care for others regardless of how uncomfortable it may feel or seem to appear. Jesus Christ set the example through his unending care for others that this is how we should love and care for all of humanity.
Yesterday, my juniors started a six week journey of caring for those in our community; the elderly, disabled, immigrants, refugees, homeless, orphaned, children, diseased, and others. This is a time of service and opportunity to learn true compassion. There are so many “walls” in our culture put there by the media, fear, hate, and anger. To tear down those walls we need understanding, compassion, and ultimately love. I teach constantly that it has never been “us” vs. “them” that there is only “us.” The only way to understand this concept is through relationship. As soon as we meet someone and form a relationship with them we have an entirely different understanding of “us” because all of humanity truly are one family.
Please say a prayer for my students as they take one day a week for the next six weeks to form friendships, learn compassion, and begin to understand others as friend. If you want to learn how to care for others find a non-profit agency, serve, and make new friends. We should care for everyone not just those in our family but those in our community who make up our bigger family.
