Darkness

Your classmate or coworker enters the room, cringing. Her face is flushed and her eyes sparkle with unshed tears. A group of people start smirking, nudging each other and staring at their cell phones at a video of her at a party. Although you don’t really know her, you realize she is suffering. Maybe you’re a Christian and you believe that Jesus taught us to love others and help the distressed. So what do you do? There are typically a few kinds of responses:

1. Ignore it. She’s not your friend. Someone else can help her. It’s none of your business, and if you keep out of it, no one will bother you. Judgmental thoughts might sneak inside your heart: “She brought it on herself. She should have been more careful.”

2. Join in. Curiosity burns inside you. You can’t help it. What did she do in the video? You forget about kindness and compassion. After all, you’re only human, and you want to fit in.

3. Take a risk. As a Christian, you understand what it’s like to be an outsider. You empathize with her because you know you’re no better than she is and your own sin is just as bad as whatever is on the video, but Jesus befriended you anyway. Jesus always reached out to the broken and lost; He identified with those who were hurting, and He calls us to do the same (1 John 4:19). Your approach will be different, depending on your personality. You might defend and support her publicly. Or you might come alongside her quietly, maybe with a smile, a small gesture of encouragement, or by offering to listen to her.

And you can always pray. God might even give you ideas of ways to help her. Your job is not to judge her actions but to love her like God loves her. After all, Jesus died and rose again so that we could be free from condemnation and shame (Psalm 34:5; Romans 8:1). As followers of Jesus, we get to share this good news through our actions and words. • Cindy Lee

• Have you ever been ridiculed? Jesus has (Matthew 27:28-44), and He understands what it’s like to be mocked and even despised. If you or someone you know has suffered an attack of privacy, know that God has compassion on you and grieves with you.

• Why do you think listening to people is often the first step in helping them?

• If you or someone you know is going through a messy issue, who is a trusted Christian adult you could talk to, such as a counselor, pastor, relative, or teacher?

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I [Jesus] have loved you.†John 15:12 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Matt.5.14-Matt.5.16|John.3.16-John.3.21