15 Sep, 2010
In a World of Hurt
15 year old Greensburg, Indiana freshman, Billy Lucas, committed suicide after suffering increasing harrassment from his peers at school. According to fellow students, in an article on the Fox59 News website, Billy was "different" and didn't "quite fit in."
" . . . The 15-year-old never told anyone he was gay but students at Greensburg High School thought he was and so they picked on him. 'People would call him 'fag' and stuff like that, just make fun of him because he's different basically,' said student Dillen Swango . . . Students told Fox59 News it was common knowledge that children bullied Billy and from what they said, it was getting worse . . . on [Thursday], some students told Billy to kill himself . . ."
Thursday evening, Billy's mother found him in the family's barn; he'd hung himself.
(Read the full story at www.fox59.com)
Matthew 9:35-38
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about the need for us to show the compassion of Christ?
Everyone has a story. Sadly, many people have a story that is filled with a twisted plot and a tragic theme. Billy Lucase, seems to fit Matthew's description of someone who is "harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd".
Jesus feels great compassion for people who have problems so great that they don't know how to get help, or they are so down, they don't respond to help that is available. He wants to bring healing and hope to their lives through His love, forgiveness and power, no matter how deep their pain.
The amazing thing is that He wants to use us. Jesus said we should pray for people to respond to His need for workers. Quite often, when we pray for something, God uses us to answer our own prayers! He wants us to see the need and trust Him to empower us to meet the needs of others.
Many people are ready for the turning point in their life story. They will give their lives to Christ if someone shows them and tells them God's Story.
Are you willing to be that person?
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Thank God that He sent Jesus to rewrite your life story. Praise Him for the fact that you know your story will have a happy ending - living with God in Heaven forever! Ask His Spirit to empower you with Christ's compassion for those who are hurting, in pain, and feeling helpless. Pray that people will respond to the need for being God's workers. Ask Jesus to give you a willing, humble heart to be one of those workers.
- For the next few weeks, especially when you are near someone who is very different from you, and you may not really know this person . . . remember that Jesus knows and loves this person . . . and that He wants you to be ready when He nudges you to reach out to those who are harassed and helpless.
- Write a note of thanks to someone who showed Christ's compassion to you at a time when you may have been carrying a lot of pain and feeling helpless.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- Pray specifically for Billy Lucas' family and friends to experience God's comfort and hope. Pray also for those who victimized Billy - bringing unbelievable pain into his life. Pray that they will feel convicted and seek God's forgiveness.
- At least once a week, be intentional about showing Christ's compassion to someone who seems harassed and hurting, without expecting anything in return.
- With your youth group or small group, come up with a strategy for reaching out to those who are hurting and helpless in your neighborhood, your community, and your school.
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