Scripture of The Day
Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (Leviticus 19:34)
I heard a story of a high school teacher trying to teach her students how to understand one another. She asked the students to write down the emotional baggage that they were dealing with. She told them to keep it anonymous. As these stories were shared the students were given great insight as to what others
were going through. It even brought tears to many as they realized that others were going through worse things than they were.
God has nudged His people over and over again to treat one another with dignity and show empathy. (Romans 12:15) Even early in the history of Israel in the book of Leviticus, God pointed the Israelites toward empathy, especially in their dealings with foreigners. He said to love them as themselves.
Sometimes the burdens we carry cause us to feel like we are foreigners-alone- misunderstood even among our peers. God calls us to treat all who God sends us with respect, dignity, and empathy. We live in a hurting world and we are all going through stuff. As we reach out to others and treat them with the love, empathy, respect and dignity that we would want, God is honored.
I encourage you today to love others as you love yourself. People need a hug, a smile, a helping hand, or a shoulder to cry on. Honor God by honoring others.
