Caring

We are either on one side or the other. We either count ourselves among those who care or among those who don't care. And at any moment we can switch sides. It only takes one choice in one situation, one act of avarice, for not caring is deeply rooted in self-gratification, self-absorption, pride. Yes, the reason we don't care for others is because we only care for ourselves. We want something for ourselves, be it material gain, group acceptance or approval, or self-aggrandizement. And we can show that we are someone who doesn't care without saying a word. The old cliches unfortunately are true: "Our actions speak volumes." "Our actions speak louder than words."
To be among those who don't care--the selfish--is to be as un-Christlike as one can be. Jesus always cared. He never met a need He didn't try to meet. He never found a blind man--physically or spiritually blind--that He didn't try to open their eyes. And He always tried to impress on His disciples the necessity of being someone who cared. He even stressed His care for the world in which we live. Not one sparrow falls without the compassionate notice of the God of creation.
We become one of those who don't care in many ways. When a teacher fails to answer a question because he's already answered it before, he has said, "I don't care." When a friend fails to listen because he's heard it all before, he has said, "I don't care." When a citizen willfully violates a law, he has said, "I don't care." When an athlete excludes or ridicules a fellow participant for whatever reason, he has said, "I don't care." The list is endless. Those who don't care are destroyers. They hurt others in order to please themselves. No action could be more repulsive to the God of love. No attitude could be more contrary to the attitude of Christ. When we say, "I don't care" in word or action, we grieve the loving heart of the Spirit who resides within us.
And caring excludes no one. If the 99 sheep are taken care of, love is not satisfied. Love asks--the one who cares asks--"What about the other one? What about the one percent who feels alone, lost, unwanted, unaccepted? Does he know that someone cares? Does he know that he is loved? Does he know that God is love? Does he know that Jesus cares? And that because He cares for me, listens to me, accepts me, I care for my neighbor and his needs just as He did? For if I care, I will seek out that one who needs to know that Jesus cares for him. I will always be on the alert to recognize the one.
My actions today will show if I am someone who cares or someone who doesn't, someone who loves others or loves only myself. And one moment of "I don't care" can leave a scar for a lifetime. How dare we not care!