Thursday, May 10th, 2018

Wonderful news broke yesterday when President Trump announced the return of three American detainees from North Korea as part of the preliminary discussions leading up to a summit between the two leaders. Such a demand by our government is a powerful indication that they have their focus on the big picture instead of just a single outcome. In Deuteronomy, it says, “You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.” Picture it: you are travelling down the road, focused on getting to your destination, and in your periphery, you see someone in need of help. It is easy to brush them off because you are in a hurry to get where you want to go. But who then are you helping if you don’t pause to help that person? At the end of the day, you are only helping yourself to get where you want to go. No matter how noble the cause, when we lose sight of the big picture in order to seek a specific end, we are only serving our own interests. Today, have the patience to delay your own arrival in order to help others along the way.

“You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.” – Deuteronomy 22:4 ESV