Sunday Blessings - Ezekiel 3;15

 Living  in  a  broken  fragmented  and  bleeding  world  I  want  to  be  an Ezekiel  3;15  person. Read  this  story  from  Joni  Eareskson Tada

Sit Where Others Sit

"I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar Rivers. And there, where
they were living, I sat among them for seven days - overwhelmed."
- Ezekiel 3:15

After a recent speaking engagement, a mentally handicapped man who was wearing thick
glasses and baggy trousers trotted up and gave me a big hug. We talked as he stood
next to me, twisting his necktie with his finger. I asked about his church and his
friends. Out of nowhere, he smiled, stuck out his chest and said, "Ezekiel 3:15...
that's what I like about my friends!"

It seemed a strange thing to say, so I asked him what is so special about the verse.
He proudly quoted it:
"I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar Rivers. And there, where
they were living, I sat among them for seven days - overwhelmed" (Ezekiel 3:15).

I gave him a strange look. He explained, "Don't you get it? 'I sat among them.'
And, wow, for seven days!"
A light dawned. "O-o-o-o-h," I said. "I get it. You are pleased that your friends
sit with you and get down on your level, right? And they try to see things from
your perspective, the way you see them." He nodded enthusiastically and went on
to remind me that the captives in Ezekiel's time must have really appreciated friends
who would sit down with them seven whole days. That was a long time to be feeling
someone else's hurts.

As that mentally handicapped man walked away, I gained a new appreciation for how
much the smallest of verses can help. Who would have dreamed that Ezekiel 3:15 would
have anything to do with instructing friends on the fine art of compassion and empathy.

Lord, help me to get down on the level of those who hurt today. Help me to show
a little empathy for those in need. You did it... Ezekiel did it... the friends
of that handicapped man do it every day. And I can do it, too.