Help your neighbor – almost everyone knows this biblical commandment. But can anyone say with certainty that he follows it? For some people, helping those in need is a common thing. For others, it is a whole problem that makes you wonder whether to help or not to help, what will it be. Yes, in life you always need to calculate your steps. But no one canceled kindness, compassion and mercy. It is on them that humanity rests.
Teachings of Christ
Help your neighbor, Christ taught. Turning to the Bible, reading it, each person sees in it his own, what he perceives due to his moral level of development. In life, it happens that often at the first call for help those people who do not go to church respond. But the one who considers himself a Christian will not always rush to help his neighbor, justifying himself with hundreds of excuses. It is not an indication of a particular faith. This speaks of the inner understanding of a person, of his attitude towards his neighbors. Probably, it is not enough to consider yourself a Christian and go to church, you need toim be in the shower.
Nothing in life can be perceived unambiguously by different people. Someone understands neighbors as relatives, friends, someone of the same faith. But even regular parishioners who regularly attend the temple do not always consider those who come to the temple for the first time due to some of their own reasons to be their neighbors. In most cases, a person comes to the temple to the Lord in despair. After all, Jesus Christ considered all people to be neighbors.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Which neighbors to help? The Lord himself gives us an example in the Gospel, telling his disciples the parable of the Good Samaritan. In it, he tells the story that a Jew was robbed and beaten half to death by robbers. Fellow believers passing by him, among whom was the priest, did not help him. Each of them found a reason to leave as soon as possible. And only a Samaritan passing by helped him. Bandaged his wounds, took him to the village and gave money to take care of him until he recovered.
Samaritans are newcomers to Judea who were treated as strangers. What is this silly story about? Not always those who are considered neighbors are ready to help. Often it is provided by those whom we do not know and do not hope for their support. Most priests, when interpreting this parable, say that by the Samaritan Jesus meant himself, calling us to follow him.
"Help others". How to do it?
It is up to each person to decide forhimself. Christ said that you need to help people quietly, doing it not for your own glory, but in the name of the Lord. Do not expect any reward for this, gratitude. Because it is done primarily for your soul. By helping others, you help yourself. A good deed cannot be if a person in it is looking for benefits or good for himself. Just help your neighbor and you will be rewarded. The commandment of God calls us not to think, but to act.
You need to be prepared for the fact that instead of gratitude, you can meet indifference, and sometimes even condemnation. After all, people are different. Some believe that the whole world was created to help them, to fulfill any of their desires. Often a person in trouble is shocked, is in such a degree of despair that he is simply unable to realize and accept someone's help. Waiting in this case for gratitude is stupid.
Good for good
You did a good deed. Everything else is on the conscience of those whom you helped. Gratitude is their problem. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. This should not deprive you of the desire to help your neighbor. During the war, people, risking their lives, fed the captured soldiers, sheltered them from enemies. At the same time, they asked the Lord that on the way of their husbands or children at the front, they would meet kind people who could support or help them.
This is another commandment of God, which says that you need to treat people the way you want people to treat you. Help your neighbors, and you will meet kind and helpful people in difficult times.
Can good bring evil?
Practically everyone has experienced a situation in which a drunkard asks for money. Before a normal person, the question immediately arises - to give or not to give, since in most cases he does this in order to drink again. This means that the giver contributes to evil, the further fall of man. It is also not a secret that the majority of beggars are the tool of scammers who make big money, taking advantage of the fact that Christians have such a commandment - help your neighbor.
What to do in this case? Most clergy answer what to give. Because we don't know if we have a swindler or a really suffering person who needs money. To drink or not to drink, to be honest or not - these are the personal problems of those who ask. Most people think they are just "parasites" living off others who don't want to work. It is not our business to judge.
A simple story
Once a priest of a small town forbade beggars to stand on the porch of the church and beg. He simply offered to anyone who needed to work to restore the temple or to do what they could in it for a fee. As you can imagine, there weren't many applicants.
Only two came. Grandmothers said: "Bitter drunkards, what kind of workers are they." One indeed soon took to drink, the other, with the help of work and daily conversations with his father Vasily, desperately struggled with his addiction, and the result was his return to a normal life, family. Thisthe priest is right, he helped a person to realize himself, to remember who he really is.
Who needs help
Sometimes it is not enough to give alms. Participation is needed from a person, but can someone who wants to help always do it. There is no single recipe for how to support a person and whether he needs it. After all, not everyone knows how to ask for help. There are people who will disappear, but never dare to bother others with their requests. There are people of a different plan, they always ask for something. This is the principle of their life. So who needs help?
Do you always need to help your neighbor
Before a true Christian, such a question should not be. Imagine a person who is asked for help by a suffering person. And he, instead of helping, stands and argues whether it is necessary to do this. No, a true Christian will help according to the call of his heart. Aid is not always expressed in money. Often simple human participation, attention can save your neighbor.
Seeing a person lying on the ground, many hurriedly pass by, thinking that he is drunk. What if it's not? A simple call to the ambulance can save him. Do not pass by and do not look for excuses for yourself. Do a good deed - help your neighbor and you will be rewarded.
In the first epistle of John, ch.3, st. 22, he says that by keeping the commandments of God, we will be rewarded. “And whatever we ask, we will receive from him…”. Help people even if you can't help financially. After all, simple participation is also help. It is important for a personto realize that he is not alone, it gives strength and confidence.
Charity activities
What is meant by helping others? For most people, it's money. People donate a lot of money to charity. And where there is money, there are always dishonest people who crave easy money. Type “charity” in the Internet search engine, and your gaze will be presented with an endless list of various types of funds. Choose any.
In America, it is customary to donate a tenth of income to charity. It is more convenient to work with funds on the principle of "help your neighbor, help those far away." They hold various kinds of charitable events. But scandals around the world with charitable foundations, which are a means of enriching a certain handful of people, do not subside.
They are often clever money laundering and tax evasion scams. With beautiful titles, directed commercials featuring famous actors. But this does not add confidence that the aid will go as intended.
However, if you want to help, then you should take this issue more seriously. Find a family with a sick child or adult. Look around. They may live very close. Look around carefully. There are thousands of people around who are in need. Not everyone talks about it, they pretend that everything is fine. Don't forget that we are just travelers in this world. Remember the frailty of everything material and the immortality of the soul.
