[The following article, excerpted from brother LeFan's Sunday night sermon of April 29, 2012, will appear in the next issue of House to House magazine]

  

Dare to Care

        As a boy, I witnessed a near tragedy at the beach. A woman wading in the water got into trouble and began to drown. A crowd of at least ten adults in bathing suits watched her, apparently paralyzed, until a fully clothed young man plunged into the water and saved her.

       When I described the incident to my parents, my admiration for that young man almost matched my contempt for the people who did nothing to rescue the drowning woman. "She was drowning," I said, "and they didn't even care."

        My father said, "Don't judge those people too harshly, because it takes a lot of courage to care."

        That phrase has stayed with me through the years because it is profoundly true. It takes courage to fling open your heart and to react with sympathy, or compassion, or enthusiasm when it is easier and safer to not get involved. But people who take the risk, who discard the armor of indifference—they make a tremendous discovery: the more intensely you care, the more alive you become.

        If you look closely at the tapestry of living, you will see that the shining thread of caring runs all the way through it like a streak of golden fire. Caring can spell the difference between success and failure in a marriage… In a job… In school… In a friendship… In every human relationship.… In whether a soul is saved or lost. The poet Emerson said, "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." And what is enthusiasm but passionate caring?

       If you want to see caring in action, get out your Bible and turn to Luke 10:34 where you can read about “The Good Samaritan.” A man was attacked by robbers, beaten, and left for dead. A priest passed that way but went on by. Later, a Levite came by but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came that way, and he cared enough about a stranger in need to stop and help. He even placed the injured victim in an inn and paid the innkeeper to see to the man’s needs. Thank God for people such as him.

       Do you care about lost souls? Do you care about God’s purpose for your life? Do you care about your own eternal soul? Please, dare to care.

                                                                                                                                              -- James LeFan