“The Least of These…”

Once, I was attempting to get the attention of a high-profile person. I noticed how they were distracted and whisked away by the more mobile, active and visible masses.

I looked on in vain and sadness as they moved farther from me. I managed to stand and move a few steps in that direction, even trying unsuccessfully to wave them down. Sadly, I returned to my wheel chair and allowed myself to be wheeled away…

This gave me pause for self-reflection:

How many times did I / do I do this to others?

If we are ALL trying to succeed as a team, we are only as strong as the weakest link.

Now that I am managing debilitating health issues (MS), it has forced me to “be still.” I now see others that I never noticed before…attempting to be quiet, inconspicuous, non-attention-drawing, unnoticed…fading into the background. People now like me.

For someone who thought she was “of value and influential” to "overlooked and insignificant" is a devastating adjustment.

The true “angels” on this earth are those who DO notice and respond to people like me.

The Bible says:

Matthew 25:40 (NKJV):  40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Luke 15:4-7 (NKJV):  The Parable of the Lost Sheep:  4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Matthew 18:1-4 (NKJV) - Who Is the Greatest?:  18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 5:16 (NIV):  16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Galatians 6:2 (NKJV):  2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV):  32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Memorable Quotes:

The Essence of Compassion:  "Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong…because sometime in your life you will have been all of these."

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” -Mark Twain

“No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted.” – Aesop, the Lion and the Mouse

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan

“One kind word can change someone's entire day.”

“To the world you may be but one, but to one you might be the world…”

Take the time to notice the unnoticeable. You may be the one that changes the trajectory of another’s life.