A man once said, “Tell me how much you know of the suffering of your fellow men and women, and I will tell you how much you have loved them.”

It is difficult for some of us to enter into the injury, pain and brokenness of others. We want to do all we can to avoid these in our own lives, yet we certainly don’t want to voluntarily join someone else in the midst of theirs. We choose to avoid conflict, even though it might lead to peace. We choose to drink, take drugs, or abuse pain killers so we can escape what we see in our mirrors every morning. We would rather be addicted to something that dulls the pain than to be liberated from the very source of it. It takes work. It takes effort. It takes sacrifice. That’s exactly what God did when he sent Jesus to us. God in Christ Jesus entered into our sinfulness. All the injury, pain and brokenness we experienced … Jesus experienced. And through his faithful, sacrificial journey, we were freed from that which chains us, binds us and imprisons us from being all that God has created us to be.

That is, followers of his son Jesus. When we allow ourselves to become open, honest and vulnerable; we are able to see and meet Jesus in the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. Did you know that every time I prepare to enter a hospital room I feel like I’m going to get sick? The human side of me despises doing funerals for those I know and love. But God calls me to follow Jesus. God calls me to be used to help and heal others. God calls me to enter those hospital rooms and funeral parlors, because it is entering into those spaces that I stand with others on Holy Ground. God is calling you too. To love your neighbor as yourself. Who was there for you when you needed God the most? Who was there to love you in the midst of your loss; whatever that might have been? Now … where is God calling you to go, and who might be depending on you to help them, heal them or make them feel whole? Listen to God’s voice today.

Tim Beck is pastor of Kenbridge United Methodist Church. His email address is revtimbeck@ gmail.com.