In Jesus’ time lepers were treated as outcasts. So were others who were ill or disabled, due to the same fears and prejudices. But what was Jesus’ response? He was full of compassion, healing, and acceptance—not condemnation, fear, or rejection. “All those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them” (Luke 4:40). Jesus set an example for us to follow.

People with HIV or AIDS often experience intense feelings of anger, depression, loneliness, guilt, grief, discrimination, and fear of being unloved or abandoned. They need to be given love and hope, and to find peace with God. They need friends like the man in the following story…

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A man visited a friend who was dying of AIDS. He tried to comfort her, but it seemed hopeless.

“I’m lost,” she said. “I’ve ruined my life and every life around me. I’m headed for Hell. There is no hope for me.”

“Who is that?” the man asked, pointing to a framed picture of a pretty girl on the woman’s dresser.

The woman brightened. “She’s my daughter—the one beautiful thing in my life.”

“Would you help her if she was in trouble? Would you still love her, no matter what?”

“Of course I would!” the woman exclaimed. “Why would you even ask such a question?”

“Because I want you to understand,” explained her friend, “that God has a picture of you on His dresser.” 

Rachel Scott is a full-time volunteer and AIDS counselor with the Family International in South Africa