Apathy is when you aren’t moved by something that you should be moved by. In Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan, a helpless traveler was left for dead. Two travelers walked right by him without helping him. They were apathetic. They should have been moved to help, but they weren’t.

Apathy is a major issue in today’s world. There are two things working against us:

1. The world population is higher than ever. While that means a lot of good things, it also means that the number of tragedies and heartaches is increasing by the second.
2. News travels faster now than ever. If war or a natural disaster ravages the other side of this planet, you are notified of it within minutes.

Those two things, multiplied together, equal something that human beings cannot cope with. A necessary ability is to disengage our feelings from the things that we can do nothing about. But once we develop the ability to feel nothing about some things, it can be tempting to feel nothing about important things.

The biblical writer Paul encouraged people living in Rome with these words: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).

While you will never have the capacity to give the world what it needs, Jesus did. He refused to let apathy deter him from loving and saving you. So while you aren’t moved by every tragedy, don’t lose your fervor to love and serve those whom God brings into your world.