I’ve learned something after being a pastor for many
years.
What I’ve learned is there are people who genuinely appear
to have it all together; they appear to be strong and victorious; they appear
to be happy, carefree and without stress of any kind and yet some of these “winners
in life” are actually broken, troubled, very sad and deeply hurting.
And part of the point I’m making is we can’t always
tell. Again, in some cases a person’s outward appearance may suggest that life
is not just fine but it’s actually fantastic! Yet some of these folks have
simply become very good at hiding their brokenness.
Becoming more aware of this reality has reminded me
of the basic truth that it is important for us to try to be gracious, kind,
encouraging and loving toward everyone. I’m not suggesting that we need to
treat everyone like they are delicate little porcelain statues. Many people
have no desire to be treated like delicate porcelain statues. However, it is
reasonable for us to always attempt to extend grace, kindness, encouragement
and love.
We do not know what other people are going through. I
have been surprised to hear stories of great sadness coming from people who
seemed to have everything going their way. It is possible the next person we
encounter is dealing with far more than we would ever imagine.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted…” Ephesians
4:32
