Lesson 11: The Pillar of Caring

by Rev. Manson B. Johnson
Special to the NNPA from the Houston Forward Times

12 PILLARS OF CHARACTER FOR TOOL BOX MEN/BOY

(TOOL BOX MEN & BOYS BUILDING FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING)

THE BIG IDEA: Things that last in life are built from the inside out.

Bible Fact: Men & boys that make the Word of God their tool box for building their personal lives will please God and have great success.

Joshua 1:8; I Corinthians 13:11

As a TOOL BOX man or boy’s character is being built God is at work inside of them to do four (4) valuable things: It is up to each individual man and boy to do at least four (4) things to help the greatness and completeness of their purpose to come out:

(1) He must cultivate the small potentials;

(2) He must culturalize the developmental process;

(3) He must cooperate with a system of standards that will keep him growing in the right

direction; and

(4) He must communicate often with the creator of his true potential for the rest of his life.

On a frigid Fall evening, November 14, 2012, a modern day Good Samaritan story played out on the streets of New York City, as NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo came across a homeless man leaning against the wall near the entrance to a shoe store –the man was barefoot.

Rather than cite him for public nuisance or loitering, Officer DePrimo went into the shoe store and bought the man a pair of size 12 all weather boots and thermal socks. And rather than just giving the boots to man (all though that would have been enough an act of kindness in its own right), the officer knelt down and helped him put them on.

This officer doesn’t sound like most any cop you’ve ever heard of, does he? Cops in general have a reputation for being cold (pardon the pun) and uncaring, harsh and harassing–more often characterized as “pigs” or “fuzz” than our “finest.”

Incredulous? Well, the whole thing did play out just as stated above, as witnessed by Jennifer Foster, an out of town tourist who caught the gesture on her cell phone camera. “I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let’s put them on and take care of you,” she heard him say as she watched him help the man into his new boots.

Like the sudden clap of thunder that nearly knocks you off your seat, the unexpected has a way of grabbing our attention. So unexpected was this officer’s gesture, that Ms. Foster’s picture* and comments soon became an online viral sensation with more than a half million Facebook “likes” to date.

Defined: What is it?

CARING: An act of kindness, concern or to show compassion.

In the story above what do you think is the reason behind the police officer’s action?

What exactly did he do that can be defined as kindness, concern or compassion?

What did the officer do that made him appear to be the real deal and not superficial?

What was the state and condition of the helpless man?

Demonstrated: What will it do or how is it applied in life?

Caring builds stronger healthy public community and it is a Divine mandate that fosters global harmony when practiced. Leviticus 19:33,34; Deuteronomy 10:17-20 22:1-4

Caring happens when people stop what they are doing or where they are going to come to the aid of another. John 3:16; Luke 10:33,34

Genuine caring is always willing to go beyond the regular call of duty or the extra mile. Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 10:35; II Timothy 1:16-18

Humility is the birth mother of kind deeds and it is perfectly demonstrated in what Jesus did on Calvary; Philippians 2:5-11

Rewarded: How does it benefit?

He that gives to the poor lends unto the Lord; Proverbs 19:17

The perfectly excellent work of the kindness of one can produce great kindness upon another; Genesis 45:16-20; 47:5,6

Men that follow the will of God in difficult times and show exceptional compassion and obedience will be a blessing to others; Matthew 1:18-25