“She sat and wept, and with her untressed hair
Still wiped the feet she was so blessed to touch;
And he wiped off the soiling of despair
From her sweet soul because she loved so much.”
There are many people who want to be useful, who want to live to help others, who find insuperable obstacles in the way. There are some to whom they find it quite easy to minister – those of lovely character, those who are their friends and who readily reciprocate any favors shown to them. But it will not do to confine the outgoings of their helpfulness and ministry to such small classes as these. Even sinners do good to those that do good to them and give to those of whom they hope to receive again. The Christian is to do more. He is even to do good to them that hate him. He is to minister to any who need his ministry, despite their character or their treatment of him. Even toward unworthy and disagreeable people he is to maintain that love that never faileth.
But how can I help one whom I cannot respect? How can I be useful to one who treats me only with insults and slights?
There is a way of relating ourselves to all men about us which solves all these difficulties and makes it easy for us to do good to any one. So long as we think of ourselves and of what is due to us from others, it will be impossible for us to minister to very many people. But where true Christian love reigns in the heart the centre of life falls no longer inside the narrow circle of self.
Those who study carefully our Lord’s life will be struck with his wonderful reverence for human life. He looked upon no one with disdain or contempt. The meanest fragment of humanity that crept into his presence, trampled, torn, stained, defiled, was yet sacred in his eyes. He never despised any human being. And, further, he stood before men, not as a king, demanding attention, reverence, service, but as one who wished to serve, to help, to lift up. He said he had not come to be ministered unto, but to minister. He never thought of what was due from men to him, but always of what he could do for them, how he could serve them. How could it be otherwise, since he came to earth solely to save men and since his heart was so full of love for them? Whenever a human being stood before him, he saw one in whose heart were sorrows which needed sympathy, or one bruised by sin needing healing and restoration. Thus he was easily able to serve all. The more repulsive the life that stood before him, the more deeply, in one sense, did it appeal to his love, because it needed his help all the more on account of its repulsiveness.
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