How To Help People (4)

‘Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.’ Acts 3:3 NKJV

Peter and John were willing to let the lame man at the temple gate interrupt their plans, and maybe make them late for ‘the hour of prayer’—which raises an important point. Is it possible to be so busy with religious activities that you don’t take time for people who are hurting? Selfishness is one of the easiest sins to commit, because when you’re busy, you’re unaware of committing it. Paul describes Jesus as ‘the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.’ (Galatians 2:20 NKJV) It seems counterintuitive, but Jesus taught that we’re more blessed when we give than when we receive. Giving fuels us; withholding drains us. Giving requires energy, and that’s not always easy, especially in stressful situations.

Motivational speaker Trudy Metzger, who had an abusive childhood, became a giver in adulthood. However, she still finds it difficult to maintain the mind-set of a giver when dealing with some of the people from her past. She admits to becoming defensive and trying to control the situation if she feels vulnerable. And when that happens, she goes from being a giver to being a taker. She writes: ‘While giving requires energy, I have to say that the situations where I become a taker leave me completely drained and “dead” inside. To be a giver brings life—like watering a plant so that it grows—but to be a taker is like sucking the water and the nutrients from the soil, leaving both the plant and the soil depleted and useless.’ Being a giver is a win-win. It helps others, plus it energises and fills you with joy.

如何帮助别人

他看见彼得、约翰将要进殿，就求他们周济。使徒行传3章3节

彼得和约翰愿意让瘫子在殿门口打断他们原定的计划，这也许会让他们在祷告的时间迟到——这就提出了一个重要的问题：你是否会因为忙于宗教活动，而抽不出时间去关心那些受伤的人呢？自私是我们最容易犯的罪之一，因为当你忙起来的时候，你不自觉地就犯了自私的罪。保罗把耶稣描述为“神的儿子，他是爱我，为我舍己。”（加拉太书2:20）耶稣教导我们，“施比受更为有福”，这看起来是有些违反直觉，但确是真实的。施与能给我们带来动力，而拒绝会让我们变得枯竭。施与是需要力量的，所以常常并不是那么容易，尤其是在我们自己都面临压力的情况下。

励志演说家特鲁迪·梅茨格在童年时曾经受过虐待，在成年后成了一个施与者。然而，当她与过去的一些人打交道时，她就发现很难保持施与者的心态。她承认，当她想到自己曾经的遭遇时，她就会变得有防御性，试图控制局面。而当这发生的时候，她就从一个施与者变成了一个索取者。她写道：“虽然施与需要力量，但我必须说，当我成为索取者的时候，我的精力很快就会被完全耗尽，内心也会跟着“死去”。施与者能给生命带来成长，就像浇灌一棵植物能使它生长一样；相反，索取者就像从土壤中吸取水分和养分，最终使植物和土壤都变得贫瘠无用。” 做一个施与者是双赢的。在帮助别人同时，也会给你带来活力和喜悦。

（翻译：段麦克 @2018年3月21日）