Others

I attended the Falls Creek Baptist Assembly as a teenager and member of the First Baptist Church of Norman, Oklahoma. The Church’s lodge at Falls Creek had the word “others” implanted with large marbles in the front walk’s concrete. Every time anyone went into or out of the Lodge, you would see the word “Others.” Those summer youth assemblies and that front walk taught me that every time I tried to decide whether my behavior or attitude was right or wrong, I was to think about others. It seems to me that many folks have lost that spirit in our time, especially as we deal with COVID. Many folks are only thinking of themselves, their “rights”, what they want, etc. Perhaps we have lost the sense of ‘greater good’. When the Lord asked Cain about his brother Abel, Cain responded, “I do not know, am I my brother’s keeper” (Genesis 4:9). Yes, Cain had killed his brother. Cain’s spirit does not sound like Paul’s instructions in Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burden, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Not considering others and the consequences my behavior and attitude may have on them can cause us to become self-serving even to the point of losing the attitude of serving the greater good. We are headed for serious trouble when we begin to think that we are not our brother or sister’s keeper. I pray and hope that more and more of us will think in terms of “others” as we make decisions.