Stop! In the Name of Love

When used effectively, “stop” is one of the most powerful four-letter words at our disposal.

It’s used to prevent a child from touching a hot stove or from running into traffic.

On our streets it’s used to prevent accidents from happening.

If the phrase “in the name of love” is added to it, it’s most often a plea to a person to stop engaging in behaviors that are harmful to themselves.

It can also be used to set boundaries, to define what behaviors you won’t tolerate.

What’s hard to do is to make yourself stop—overeating, cheating, lying, blaming others for your problems, being lazy, trying to control others, spending too much money or too much time on your phone or the TV. The list could go on and on, right?

Here’s one you may not have thought of: how about stopping yourself from helping someone in need?

It sounds cruel, unkind, and un-Christ-like, doesn’t it?

Jesus tells a parable in Matthew chapter twenty-five about ten young bridesmaids who are waiting for those in a wedding party to arrive so they can join them in the wedding feast. When the wedding party arrives, the bridesmaids jump up and make sure their oil lamps are burning brightly. Unfortunately, five of them forgot to bring oil with them, so they turn to their counterparts and ask them to share their oil.

That’s when the other five say, “No.”

Their explanation was, if we give you some of our oil, we won’t have enough for ourselves.

Now, here’s the thing you need to pay attention to. Jesus was the one telling this parable, and he said those who said “no” to an opportunity to help others were “wise.”

Let that sink in for a moment.

I know lots of people who, if they’d been in that situation, would’ve given away all their oil, that it was their duty to do so, and that God would expect them to give it away.

Here’s my takeaway: When helping others is harming you, you’ve gone too far.

Self-care isn’t selfish. Even Jesus took care of himself by getting away from those who needed him so he could spend time talking to his Father.

In the name of loving and caring for yourself, just STOP!

* Taken from The Wit and Wisdom of David Johnson, Volume I1: The Hairy Catfish Caper.