What words come to mind as you read the following list: Braveheart (William Wallace), Harriet Tubman, Florence Nightingale, Mother Teresa, Polycarp, the ten Boom family (Corrie, her sister, Betsy, and father), and Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Courageous? Brave? Social influencer? All of these, but I submit that a succinct descriptor of their characters is found in a single word: hero. Each of those individuals laid aside their personal welfare for the benefit of others.
Thinking of ourselves as heroes may be difficult or even impossible to imagine, especially if we take our cues from the movies. Movie heroes jump off tall buildings, crash through fiery walls, parachute out of supersonic planes, and receive multiple punches to the head without blacking out. We can’t imitate them in those ways.
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”–when you already have it with you. In these verses, King Solomon of Israel provides a realistic heroic path for us to follow—something we can accomplish. If God has granted us the means and power to do good to our neighbor, we should not hold back but do it.
But what is the good Solomon refers to? That depends on our neighbor's needs. A word of encouragement, a trip to the grocery store, a visit to the hospital, prayer, a listening ear, crying or rejoicing together, a word of correction when harm is being done, an apology or forgiveness, giving our time and attention to one who can never pay us back, an invitation to a holiday meal.
When we act for our neighbor’s good, we imitate the one true hero, Jesus Christ. Think of some good things you can do for your neighbors.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and jools_sh.)
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Grace Assante has enjoyed various writing projects over the years, and after attending the 2022 Asheville Christian Writers Conference, she was inspired to learn the craft of writing well and not to give up on her dreams of publication. She and her husband live in Brooklyn, New York, and are blessed with three grown children, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and three adorable grandkids. She enjoys traveling, reading, taking long walks with her husband, and meeting friends for coffee.