BE KIND TO EVERYONE
By Bishop Mike Okonkwo
Sunday 19th February 2023
“And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.” 2 Kings 5:2 (KJV)
I see the way some people treat their subordinates and I cringe. I see some parents treat their domestic staff so poorly and then leave their children at their mercy as they go about their daily duties and I wonder how such people think. Child of God, learn to treat EVERYONE that comes your way with respect because you do not know what the womb of tomorrow holds.
In our text today, Naaman, the captain of the host of the king of Syria, in today’s language, he probably will be the Chief of Staff of the Army, was leprous. For him to be the Chief of Staff of the Army of the king, you can imagine the battles he had fought successfully and the respect he commands in the nation, yet there was a challenge in his life that overshadowed all his achievements, he was a leper. But unlike many with similar conditions, he did not die a leper because a maid in his house brought him a solution.
Put on your imagination: if he had been hard and brutal, would the girl have ever considered helping him? Please note that this was a slave who seemingly had nothing to offer an Army General. But for her to have gone to Naaman’s wife with a solution, clearly, they treated her well.
Please, be conscious of the fact that you are who you are simply by grace and there is nothing that you have, that you have not received. So, treat those “less privileged” people around you well. Show them the love of God. Yes, they may be subordinates today, but who knows what they will become tomorrow, and even while in your home or office, you do not know the blessing that they have the capacity to attract to you. Naaman got healed because the young slave girl pointed him in the direction of God and he was healed. That staff around you might be the carrier of the solution for the challenge you are facing, be kind to him or her. Show them the love of God and teach your children to do the same. Raise children that will say “thank you” to those who help them. Don’t raise children with an entitlement mentality.
Further Reading: 2 Kings 5: 1-3; 8-14
Daily Bible Reading: Morning – Leviticus 25, Evening – Mark 1:23-45