Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.

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Read

1 Corinthians 9: 19-23 (NRSV)

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

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Reflect

When I first read this passage, it was a difficult one for me to reconcile. It sounds as if Paul was tricking people into believing what he believed, by pretending to be like whoever he was trying to convince. Upon a closer reading, I viewed the passage differently. Paul went through a lot, and what he was doing is what we all do. He was seeking commonalities with different people by drawing on his own experiences, to meet people where they were. We want to understand people, and part of how we do that is by drawing on our own experiences and looking for the similarities.

The story of Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan is one that resonates with people around the globe, not because people everywhere know what it’s like to be shot in the head for attempting to go to school, but because people draw on their personal experiences to empathize with what others in the world are enduring. This empathy upon which Paul drew is what makes us better Christians.

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Pray

Dear Lord, help us to realize that people go through things every day. Even though we may not have been in their exact situation, we need to show empathy and consideration as Paul did. Amen.

Go with God.