A coworker who regularly wears designer clothes and drives a Jaguar asks you to lend him money to help him pay some unexpected medical bills from an emergency operation. Your sister and brother-in-law ask you to babysit their notoriously misbehaved kids without any notice when you have other plans so they can attend a weekend retreat for couples with marital problems.
When people ask you for help, you could resent their requests if they don't seem to deserve it, or if they simply irritate you. But God can give you genuine love for people in need that will fuel the compassion necessary to serve others as He leads.
Here are some ways you can deepen your love for people who need your help:
Adapted from A Patchwork Heart: Deepening Your Love for Others, copyright 2002 by Kim Moore and Pam Mellskog. Published by NavPress, Colorado Springs, Co., www.navpress.com. For copies of the book, call 1-800-366-7788.
Kim Moore is creative arts director of Canton Community Church and is on the teaching staff of Speak Up with Confidence seminars. She is also a speaker, vocal artist and worship leader who travels the United States and abroad. She and her husband, Eric, live in Plymouth, Mich., with their three children, Lincoln, Brittany, and Hunter. Pam Mellskog launched her freelance writing career in 1991 by creating radio jingles. She contributed to the book Divine Appointments and has written for various Christian magazines. She resides in Boulder, Co.
When someone asked for your help recently, how did you respond? Did you feel resentful or genuinely glad to help, and why? Visit Crosswalk's forums to discuss this topic by clicking on the link below.