Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Outward Thinking

A Thoughtful Life – Part 2

My last post was about living the thoughtful life through thinking about our Lord and our faith. Today’s post is about living the thoughtful life through being sensitive to the needs of others.

That bread which you keep belongs to the hungry; that coat which you preserve in your wardrobe, to the naked; those shoes which are rotting in your possession, to the shoeless; that gold which you have hidden in the ground, to the needy. Wherefore, as often as you are able to help others, and refuse, so often did you do them wrong.
--Augustine.

It’s not enough to be an isolated bubble of faith in the world. To care for others is not an optional addition to our faith. It is an integral part. It is what love is. And to care for anyone we must be sensitive to their needs. This requires time. It requires thought. It then requires action.

When we truly think about others, then we are more able to help them and more able to share God’s love.

17 comments:

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

P.S. if you look closely there is a rainbow in that pic (I had to search all my pics for 3 rainbows for this series..lol)

Karen said...

Amen...may the Lord open our eyes and our hearts to be sensitive to the needs of others.....

RCUBEs said...

Nice shot! But even more so with the reminder/challenge that God placed upon your heart. Through your written words. God bless.

Sandy said...

I love the quote from Augustine.
Oh, I didn't notice the rainbow.
Glad you pointed it out. I'm
enjoying these teachings so
much.
Blessings,
Sandy

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Yes truly believe in helping others.
kim

Just Be Real said...

Lyn great post. Yup, I see that rainbow. Blessings to you.

Beth Herring said...

fabulous post. you are a blessing to me Lynda and i always get a lift when I come here.

mariel said...

amen! Great quote too! thank you for sharing this!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

So glad you could all see the rainbow (I was a bit worried the photo looked like nothing more than a smudge of clouds).

Many blessings to you all for walking in God's Love.

Rochelle said...

Hmmm, you have the most beautiful, inspiring posts!!

Surprised By Joy! said...

Wow, that quote from Augustine is powerful. I am praying for God to give me His love for humanity.

Thanks for sharing,
Tammy

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Augustine certainly had a knack for saying things

Kathy M. said...

So true. Thank you.

Speaking of being sensitive to the needs of other, I wanted to thank you for your kind condolences on my blog. It meant a lot to me. Hugs.

Dorcas said...

Very very true! Thanks Lynda

~blessings

Dorcas

Alicia The Snowflake said...

Amen! I often try to think of others. But I also know that I have a tendency towards selfishness. I pray the Father will show me the needs of others and when I can help to meet them.

I've missed visiting with you my friend. I hope all is well with you and your family!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Kathy, Hugs

Alicia, It's great to see you. Yes, all is well with family. My birthday is tomorrow so I'm looking forward to that (Sat 10th) :)

Rita said...

Isn't it wonderful that God put the rainbow in His sky to give us hope? We live in a "me" world, so thank you for reminding us that it is so important to get out of ourselves and remember others. Bless you.