Care

Care

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

YEARS AGO, I worked for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in my community. As a clinical social worker, I was part of the inpatient recovery program, meeting with veterans who struggled with addiction and their mental health. As part of my orientation I met with several other staff members to learn about their roles. One older gentleman, a chemical dependency counselor who’d been at the VA for close to thirty years, told me about the different treatment programs they’d used over the years. His least favorite was one that had been utilized when he started where the veteran would sit in the middle of a circle and their family members would sit around them, telling them all the ways they’d messed up or hurt them through their addiction. The intention was to shame the person into different behavior. But it often had the opposite effect.

He said, “These guys are already down. You don’t need to tell them how bad they are; they know they’ve messed up.” He explained it wasn’t long before they realized the error of this method and implemented a program that was based more on understanding and encouragement. They realized that genuine care for another person had better results than shame or put-downs ever could.

As I listened to the history of the treatment program I was now working in, it reminded me of our relationship with the Lord. God never called out people who were already discouraged. We never saw him kick those who were already down. He always first showed his care and concern for the person. Did God put people in their place? Absolutely. But often it was those who were prideful or arrogant, never those who were already deeply wounded.

The tenderness and care of God meets us right where we are, in the middle of our mess, and then lovingly draws us out, encouraging us to wholeness and healthiness.

Lord, thank you for inviting us to bring all of our cares to you. And for caring so deeply for us. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Think about how God has cared for you. How can you extend God’s care for you to someone in your life who is in a hard place?