It was one of those dark, wet, dreary nights. For Alex, what had begun as a day of fun and exploration had become a fight for survival. Ever true to his adventurous nature, he had strayed from the group, sure he would find his way back. Afterall, this was not his first time in the woods. But this time, he was lost, and he knew it. He also knew that he was alone in dangerous territory, home to more than a few bears, so he decided to keep moving. Hours later, injured, desperate, disoriented and tired, he meandered deeper and deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, someone had noticed Alex was missing and the group had decided to look for him. Noting the obvious dangers, the team leader announced that he was not expecting everyone to join the search party. Anyone who wished to stay behind at camp was welcome to. But no one wanted to stay. They were going to find Alex together. The leader ordered a few to stay behind just in case Alex made it back. The rest of the group, risking their own wellbeing, through rain and rough terrain, bears and threats of bears, roughed it until they found their wounded and broken friend.
In this story I saw a picture of a healthy church, one in which Christians genuinely love and care about each other. With isolation being almost a virtue in our societies, it’s unsurprising that few of us know our neighbors by name or fellow church members beyond the occasional encounter. When a fellow Christian goes astray many of us rarely notice; if we do, we don’t think it our business to “follow-up.” Meanwhile, the lost brother suffers and struggles alone, deeper and deeper into that forest.
The call to love one another involves taking the time to know and look out for each other. It involves not joining the mean-spirited chorus of our trolling world that would gossip, judge, and point fingers. How could she do that? He brought this on himself! Maybe he was never a Christian. I’m not surprised; he’s kind of full of himself! Let him learn his lesson.
Being our brother’s keeper means extending grace and mercy, and giving each other the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he strayed because he was overwhelmed by life’s pressures, perhaps he was being persecuted, perhaps he is under an enemy’s attack, perhaps he is hurting or just sad.
The call of love compels us to say, “perhaps we should pray for him, perhaps we should go and see how he is doing, perhaps we should shield him from this attack, perhaps we should let him know we are here for him…” Or perhaps I…
Jesus is the good shepherd who would leave the ninety-nine to find the lost one. May God grant us the grace to love each other the same way.
“Love one another… By this, all will know that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35)