Compassion and Respect
The Psalmist writes that to be true to God, we must be loyal to those who lift us from the depths of our living. Jesus continues with his admonition against saying or thinking evil thoughts on someone, for the thoughts themselves degrade the importance of God within us. We must be righteous in the eyes of God.
If we are to receive His blessing, we must serve others, especially those who are not as we are. Throughout the Bible, we are reminded that the stranger is to be welcome; more so, the stranger is our brother. To turn the stranger away is the same as turning our backs on our own families. The stranger is our family. We are all children of God. The Psalmist continues with “. . . it is well with the man who is gracious . . .” (112:5). If we reject the stranger at the door, who are we rejecting but ourselves.
God creates all. When I was young, I had dark brown hair; now in my seventies, my hair is white with some dark streaks. My white hair shows my lifelong knowledge, both knowledge and white hair are given by God. God is within us; we cannot seen him; we cannot heard his voice; but when we welcome the stranger, God is in our hearts; and, we are truly blessed by this presence.
Meditating to Heal 