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Occasionally some member of the church remarks, “Nobody ever visits me!” It is almost always a complaint, sometimes uttered in bitterness. I have heard people say it almost as if they believed there was a blacklist of “people who should not be visited” hidden in the minutes of the elders’ meetings! Let me offer a few observations on the “Nobody ever visits me” syndrome.
- If you had suffered some tragedy in your family, such as a death or serious accident or your house burning, you would surely have had a visit. If there had been some serious illness you would have been visited. If you had become involved in some kind of open shameful sin you would certainly have received a visit. So, if you have not been visited, perhaps you ought to be thankful!
- I assure you that no one is intentionally ignored or avoided. It is unfortunate that elders, deacons, preachers and others who are involved in planning visits are less than perfect and sometimes they make mistakes. It is also unfortunate that some brethren have little sympathy for the human limitations and failings of their elders, deacons and preachers in these and other matters. Some who make this complaint need to grow up and quit licking imaginary wounds. Yes, we sometimes fail to visit people when they really need visiting, but we do our best to avoid such.
- It is most often the case that those who do the loudest fussing about not being visited are those who do little or no visiting themselves. Their idea of visiting is for someone always to be visiting them!
- Some people are not visited very much because they have scared people away. They never have a good word about anybody, they are always griping and complaining about something or telling how they have been mistreated. Or perhaps they pride themselves on always saying what they think. Some are compulsive talkers. Then they wonder why the brethren don’t beat a path to their door to visit them!
- When some say, “Nobody ever visits me,” what they usually mean is, “The preacher or elders haven’t paid me enough attention lately.” Some people conceive of the preacher’s work as “nothing to do Monday through Saturday except visit the brethren.” Sorry, but you are dead wrong! Please think twice (at least) before you make this complaint.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Edifier, weekly bulletin of Pearl Street Church of Christ, Denton, TX, November 12, 1987, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
