Ride to the airport - more of Dahlia's pet peeves

[Traveler]

Perhaps we should recall the song, “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”.  Jesus implied that as we decide how we would treat others that we do so with the thought that we are so treating Christ.  Would we inconvenience ourselves to drive Jesus to the airport?  But then would Jesus think of annoying things to ask of us while we are performing service for him?  Does anyone understand the irony in this question?

Before anyone thinks that I am better than anyone else – I may know better than most others but I do not always (seldom) do that much better than most others.  I just thought I would pass on (share) some of the guilt I go through almost every night when reporting my activities for the day in my personal evening prayers.

 

The Traveler

[NeuroTypical]

10 minutes ago, Traveler said:

Jesus implied that as we decide how we would treat others that we do so with the thought that we are so treating Christ.  

Absolutely.  The question should always be "what does help look like, and not look like".  Sometimes, help does not look like propping someone up in their unrealistic expectations about the viability of the lifestyle they wish to have.

It's sort of hard to figure out - after all, Christ was wise and full of truth.  The guy we helped move who couldn't be bothered to lift a finger for himself, despite his mom saying he had no discernable mental illness, was a tough case.  I mean, the guy sat there on his couch while we had to go buy garbage bags for all his pizza boxes.  He sat there watching tv until we unplugged it and hauled it up the stairs, then he just sat on the couch and sulked.  He begrudgingly moved when we came for the couch.  

Yeah, it was pretty obvious that helping this guy move, was also service to his mom.  Maybe moreso than it actually was actually service to him.  When we got to his new place, he didn't have a key.  So we dumped all his crap on the front lawn and left him there.  Fixing his life's problems because he couldn't drum up the motivation to do it himself, was not what treating him like Christ looked like.  Leaving him to pick himself up and do for himself, was as close as we could come.  I treated him with kindness and civility, I was able to set aside the snark and sarcasm, and see him as a struggling brother.  I hope I did right.

[Larry Cotrell]

One thing that I admire about the LDS church is their strong sense of community that I wish was replicated in other churches. 

[Anddenex]

Here are my thoughts on the issue, and some others have already shared a similar thought.

1) If my brother or sister, family of origin, lived in my same area would I be bothered if they asked me to take them to the airport at a time that was an inconvenience? Are we not all brothers and sisters according to gospel light and truth. I have taken my family or origin to the airport at times that are inconvenient, and it never bothered me. I have picked them up at odd hours also. If a request becomes common though, people asking should be willing to give something in return, in this case, gas money. I am not bothered though by a lack of sleep. I will often get 2-4 hours of sleep a day, depending on when I go to bed.

2) I am bothered by entitlement that abounds in some homes (as I believe @SilentOne shared). Example, a person that is moving and asks for help. There is nothing wrong in the request for help; however, when you arrive nothing is boxed, nothing is in order to place in a car, no moving truck is purchased and when you arrive they say, "Where's the truck"? And then start telling you to box things up while they stand there. They also then ask why a moving truck wasn't purchased for them. Yes, true story. I have discovered I am more bothered by this entitlement than driving someone to the airport, and I would prefer driving someone to the airport at 2am in the morning than moving. Just me though. So, if the thread was about "moving" requests, my heart already cringes now with how many times I have helped move a family with a variation of what has been shared as an example.

3) There isn't anything inherently wrong with asking for help, nothing. Expecting and feeling entitled to help, that is a problem. If we can help, then let us help. If we can't, then we can have in our hearts the same thought within King Benjamin's address stating, if we don't have then we don't have, as long as in our hearts we would help if we could.

4) At times, no matter the reaction of the recipient, it is Christian, at times, to say, "No." Or provide what @zil shared, and say, "Hey, have you looked into this option"?