LOSING FEELING

Amos 4:1-6
1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" 2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by His holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. 3 You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon," declares the Lord. 4 "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. 5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings--boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do," declares the Sovereign Lord. 6 "I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to Me," declares the Lord.

A friend of mine gradually lost a good portion of the feeling in his fingers and his feet due to the effects of chemotherapy. His condition, called neuropathy, is common among cancer patients.
Brian, an excellent athlete, struggled to run smoothly. His artistic moves on the basketball court were now stiff and awkward.

I sympathized as best I could for my friend. But now, due to my own chemo treatments, my fingers and feet feel numb and tingly. Neuropathy has moved from a distant concern to a condition I know intimately.

We live in a culture that bombards us with acts of violence--both acted out and lived out--that can make us lose feeling. The harshness of some movies and video games, blended with a continual stream of news stories of brutal acts, can cause us to become numb and detached. This reminds me of a couple of radio DJs who were fired for making jokes about the slaying of an American hostage.

In apologizing for his inappropriate on-air remarks, one of the men said that he had become desensitized by all the awful stuff going on in the world. He then stated that he had forgotten that some people still feel.

The prophet Amos didn't mince words when he laid into the Israelites because of their lack of heart for others and for God. They were no longer feeling compassion or sympathy for the less fortunate. Amos declared that they were a people "who oppress the poor and crush the needy" (Amos 4:1). They were condemned for not caring for hurting people.

Are you beginning to lose feeling for others as you flail in the waves of our violent culture? Have you become desensitized by your media choices?

Turn to Jesus and restore your relationship with Him. Then open your heart to those who are hurting in your own sphere as well as other parts of the world. God wants you to return to Him--for He feels for you. --Tom Felten

DESTINATION POINTS

* In what ways have I stopped caring for people?
* With God as my example, how can I begin showing more compassion to others?

LINKS:
The Compassion of JesusBlood, Sweat, and Prayers

bottom line: Faith in Jesus brings deep feelings for others.

soul journey