I recently saw a man wearing a tee shirt that said, “A time to remember, if only we could.” That really hit home for some reason. I suspect that the idea may have been in reference to the present state of our nation; but to me, it meant more about the Christian life.

For a moment, I’d like you to think about the following statements and see if any apply to you:

• How it felt to be new in a school, neighborhood, church
• How it felt to be alone with a group of strangers
• How it felt to lose a loved one
• How it felt to sit alone at the hospital
• How it felt to stay up all night with a crying baby or sick child
• How it felt to have to eat alone
• How it felt to be afraid
• How it felt to be hungry
• How it felt to be lied to or lied about
• How it felt to be bullied
• How it felt to have no one to talk to

All of us have had some of the above experiences, and we can relate to those feelings. We can be assured that all of those situations exist with someone on a daily basis. Many that we encounter everyday could relate to some, if not all, of them.

The question for us is, what do we do about it? Do we feel any compulsion to do anything? I suggest that this is a service any Christian can do and bring a lot of joy to friends, neighbors, and even strangers.

I suspect the apostle Paul knew a lot about those things listed above. He writes a lot about the treatment of others, and I think he understood the fear, loneliness, hunger, and mistreatment we are thinking about.

In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (verses 1-3 ESV). He is in prison, and he is urging the Christians in Ephesus to live like Christians, being humble, gentle, patient, and support one another. Look at the list, and see what Paul’s instructions would support. At the end of the chapter, he says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (verse 32). That takes care of several more.

In order to carry out Paul’s instructions, we need some adjustment in our attitude. He helps us with this too. He says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).

Let’s remember two other things:

• How it felt to be a new Christian
• How it felt to be a part of teaching someone the truth

Do you remember? I do. Being clean from all sin, and sharing the gospel with others are two of the greatest joys on this earth. If you don’t remember, then you may need some advice from James, the earthly brother of Jesus. He said, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at this natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like” (James 1:22-24). One must attend to the responsibilities of a Christian, or he will forget what started him on this path.

Paul gives us a list that we can keep close to us in our minds and in our everyday lives. He says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:22-26). All of these will aid us in remembering what it is like to need someone.

To sum it all up, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). It is a time to remember. If only we could! 

Sandra Oliver