Leadership Thought: The Story of the Pit

Dear Friends,

It is so easy to talk about helping and caring for people, but it is another thing to become involved and do something specific to help and care for them.

The struggle we all have as believers is translating knowing what to do into doing what we know 

Years ago, some of us wore WWJD bracelets reminding us to ask,"\What Would Jesus Do?"  Today there is another bracelet available with a more appropriate word change- DWJD-"Do What Jesus Did." 

I believe that this message more accurately addresses how we should live out our neighborly love.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that we are to do good to our neighbor, who is defined as anyone in need. 

The religious leaders who should have helped, walked right on by their neighbor, while the religiously despised Samaritan chose to stop and help. He saw his neighbor's need and decided to do something about it, and so should we.

He invested his time and money and sought help for the man because he valued him as God valued him.

The religious leaders disagreed spiritually and politically with the man, and as a result they ignored his need and walked on by.

Jesus wants us to value and care for all people. He teaches  that we should unconditionally love everyone regardless of who they are. If they are in need, they are our neighbors, and we should strive to meet their needs, rather than ignore them.

John Maxwell says, "If I see you hurting, I will help you. If I see you broken, I will fix you, but if I see you as valuable, I will serve you.” Jesus teaches us that all humans are valuable and deserve to be loved and served.

As believers we are to be salt and light, to make things better and brighter and this means we must always be willing to "do as Jesus did." We are to love everyone unconditionally, regardless of our differences politically, spiritually, socially, or relationally.

The story of the Pit is a good reminder of this lesson: 

A man fell into a pit and couldn't help himself out.

 A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there."

An objective person said, "It's logical that someone would fall down there."

A Christian Scientist came along, "You only think you're in a pit."

A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into a pit."

A Mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit.

A Rockhound asked him of any rare specimens in the pit. 

A News Reporter wanted an exclusive story on his pit.

A Fundamentalist said, "You deserve your pit."

A Realist said, "That's a pit"

A Geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit.

An IRS man asked if he was paying taxes on the pit. 

The County Inspector asked if he had a permit to dig a pit.

A professor gave him a lecture on the Elementary Principles of the Pit.

An Evasive person avoided the subject of the pit altogether. 

A Self-Pitying person, said, " You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit." 

A Charismatic said, "Just confess that you are not in a pit."

An Optimist said, "Things could be worse."

A Pessimist said, "Things will get worse." 

Jesus seeing the man took him by the hand, and lifted him out of the pit, and so should we!

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom