Be Kind to Poor Relations

Neville Turley

Kind words are like honey – sweet to the taste and good for your health.

Proverbs 16:24 (GNB)

We are constantly being told that we live in a global village. The world has certainly shrunk. At present South Africa is hosting many poor relations. Men and women who have fled from harsh regimes and war inflicted territories to seek a safer haven under a gentler sun.

All crave kindness and most assistance. We should try to help where we can for xenophobia has no place in the Christian character. As King Jesus will one day say, “I tell you whenever you refuse to help one of these least important ones, you refuse to help me.”  Matthew 25: 45

Let us bring this closer to home. One thing most families have in common are poor relations. For not everyone in every family prospers equally well. Some relations are poor because they have made wrong choices in early years and have never managed to overcome the consequences. Others are poor because of circumstances beyond their control.

A man once told me of his consternation when he first heard his brother had abandoned all he had and had taken to the road and was now living rough. Some months later he was driving in his kombi, with his children and their friends, when he saw his brother walking alongside the road. To save his children embarrassment, he had looked the other way and accelerated past his brother.

Families that were once close units sometimes split apart.  Wills and testaments can also cause bitterness and estrangement.  Most often siblings simply drift away as they pursue their own interests and become strangers to each other.

There may be something exciting in welcoming strangers to your home, knowing that they may well be angels in disguise.  There is no such excitement when poor relations come knocking, for we know they are definitely not angels in disguise.  Often they are cause for embarrassment when they call without invitation.

No doubt the rich man in Jesus parable felt the same way when Lazarus arrived at his door hoping; “to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table”.  Luke 16:20  However, in life it is the end result that matters. It was Lazarus that went to heaven whilst the rich man went to hell. All the rich man’s material wealth didn’t help him.  Lazarus did not want much, just kindness and crumbs from the rich man’s table.

Perhaps someone who was once close to you is longing to hear from you again.  The only way to find out is to make contact.  Do it now for tomorrow may be too late.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give us grace to reach out to others in kindness and compassion. May we by our actions reflect the great love our Saviour has for us. In Jesus name I pray this. Amen