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. 1 Corinthians 9:22

Have you ever walked into a room and felt your “otherness”? If you’ve lived outside of your home country, it’s likely you’ve experienced feeling very out of place. Or perhaps you went to an event focused on a culture different than your own and you felt like you were trespassing.

We often forget that we have agency in how welcome we make other people feel. Consider how “helping the poor” is usually a church program rather than inclusion of the poor being a part of church culture. We really miss the mark if we avoid all discomfort when living out the gospel.

The apostle Paul described what he called, “becoming all things to all people” in the Bible. He wrote, “to those not having the law I became like one not having the law…” (1 Corinthians 9:21). Paul’s shape-shifting was a way for him to share the gospel with more people. It wasn’t dishonest or fake, it was humble, smart, and empathetic. He became weak so that other weak people knew he was with them and for them. Paul’s willingness to try to be with, listen to and relate to people, opened hearts to God.

As followers of Jesus, we aren’t required to know everything, be good at everything or be liked by everyone. But we can all do hard things to communicate God’s love to others unlike ourselves. Where can you find someone who is feeling like an outsider?  God is calling you to look around you and humbly empathize with “the outsider”?

 

Resource reading: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23