- Kerri S. Wilson
Hands and Feet

Many of us Christians make the effort to be like the hands and feet of Jesus. We try to fulfill the call to comfort the hurting, help heal the broken, give relief to the suffering, and lead the captive to liberty just as Jesus did. One can hurt, be broken, suffer loss, and be held captive in multiple areas of life, and no human is immune to any of these plights. So our calling is to reach out to others at every level of suffering, whether the need is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual no matter the social status, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. Many of us respond to this call with opened hearts. Sometimes, however, what we offer is rejected. Consider Jesus' experience. Many received from Him, but many also rejected Him. Though He kept giving to those willing to receive, He responded to those who refused Him by dusting off His feet and moving on. Interestingly, it was the religious who rejected Jesus the most. We can see, now, how much they needed Him, but those who rejected Him felt they had no need. They considered what He had to give as irrelevant. And, instead of recognizing their need for what He had, they focused on what they saw as wrong with Jesus. Therefore, unfortunately, they never realized how much more loss they suffered because of their rejection of Him. He tried to give, but they mocked, ridiculed, and judged Him, thus they shut out His potential to bring healing to their lives. Though we are often rejected like Jesus was, we can't be distracted by unreceptive hearts. Instead, we must keep our hands and hearts opened to those who are willing to receive. Some may close their doors, but eventually other doors will open, and hungry people will be standing on the other side reaching for what we're giving.