Being Good Company

Do you ever wonder what it takes to be fulfilled in this life?

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' - Matthew 25:34-36

In today's lesson, Jesus tells his disciples what it means to be a true follower.

We may hear the golden rule, to do onto others as you would have them do onto you, but do we really know what it means to live that way?

Do we think of all the needs we have that may or may not be fulfilled and say, these are the things I would help bring to others?

The point of Jesus' message is that the way we treat each other is how we treat God.  If I do it for you, I do it for Him, whether I think He needs it or not.

That's the thing.  God doesn't need anything from us for Himself.  He needs everything from us for each other.

We tend, though, not to see our mission in this world as one of dedication to each other.  Perhaps we dedicate ourselves to family and friends, to seeking an honest living and making enough to be happy.  Our pursuit of happiness is different than God's.

I can look at the list of ways I can help others and check them off one by one.  Clothe the naked, check.  Or I can look at the bigger picture.

Wherever I go and whom so ever I encounter, I can see needs that are unfulfilled and I can do something to help.

Perhaps that something is just to take time to be there, to grab a hand and guide them along, to smile and be good company.  It is why we exist, for each other.

So, as I venture out today, I will be on the look out for opportunities to be good company to others, and who knows, I might just find others willing to be good company for me as well.

More to come...