Grease The Oiled Wheels – The Quiet, Hurting People

They say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. That is often true in a 200church. The loudest person often receives the most attention. The loudest are often the ones with complaints and gripes. They may be the ones who are upset that things are not going their way. I say move them to the back of the line!

What about the quiet widow who is lonely and hurting? She will never say anything to you, or complain that you haven’t visited her. She should move to the front of the line.

What about the man who is worried to death about his job? There have been layoffs and cutbacks and he is afraid he is the next neck on the chopping block. But he won’t complain to you or ask for help. He will die trying… to fix his own issues and problems. He should move to the front of the line.

How about the child who is compliant and obedient because she is afraid of disappointing dad, or because he is trying to compensate for not being the brightest bulb on the athletic team? They won’t complain or gripe. They also won’t ask for help. The quiet children and teenagers need to be moved to the front of the line.

How about the couple that serves week in and week out? They will never ask for a week off. They will show up with a fever. They are empty, because they give and give, and get little encouragement or recognition in return, saying they are “doing it for Jesus”. Believe them, they are doing it for Jesus, so be Jesus to them and encourage them and love on them for the work they do.

Are you worried about the loud ones, the complainers? Are you spending a lot of energy trying to fix their problems or make them happy? Forget it. Move toward the oiled wheels, the ones that aren’t squeaking. Like high blood pressure, the silent killer, these people are dying in their silence and they will never tell anyone. No one will know until it is too late.

Help the ones who are hurting right in your own congregation. Let this short post encourage you to move toward the quiet, hurting person in your church this week, with love and care. Help them, and in the spirit of Matthew 25, help Jesus.