Skip to main content

Close Enough to Help





Sometimes, I have a “lightbulb” moment, and I begin to see things a little more clearly.   Tonight as we were sitting at the table having a sub sandwich and soda, my children and I were talking about church.   My son said, “I don’t like that they put so many church services on the television and internet because then people feel like they don’t have to go to church.”  My daughter, who loves to debate, said, “they can go to church without getting too close to people.”  As my daughter said this, the light bulb kicked on.   How can I help and encourage people if I’m at a distance?  I can’t.  Sometimes, at work, in my neighborhood, in my circles I have found that we often fail to get close enough to people to help them.  If I was walking across the road and fell, in order to help me you would need to come to where I was.  You would need to come beside me.  It’s why Christians need to meet with other Christians too.  We need the encouragement that they can offer.  The world can wear us down and by Sunday we need someone to come along side of us and tell us it’s going to be fine.  Sometimes we just need the friendly hug or a smile because all we see all week is frowns from people with many cares, cares that we can only carry to God for them.  Somehow meeting with God’s family on Sunday can destressing they rest of the week.  Just knowing that someone has our back, and they are not looking for a bus to throw us under make a HUGE difference.  The rest of the week, we’ll be ready to get close to those around us because we got close to God and our “God family” first.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s That Smell?

To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. 2Corinthians 2:16 Last break!  The shift was almost over. Then the unthinkable happened, this man appeared out of nowhere wanting to know where the flashlights were kept.  As we were on our way to the flashlights, I noticed that this man had a very strong odor.  I thought perhaps I could get in front of him so that the smell would not be as strong.   That, however, was not to be either since; he insisted on keeping pace and walking right beside me. By the time we got to where the flashlights were; I was practically running just to keep ahead of him.  I showed him the flashlights and made a hasty exit.  If you’re like me, you shower and even put on perfume or cologne so that you will not stink.  We are concerned that the smell coming from our body is not offensive to others.  As I write this, I wonder if we are as concerned with our spiritual aroma as ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grow Old Gracefully

I’d like to tell you about a lady I visited yesterday.   She is ninety-five years young.  She recently moved into nursing home.  She asked one of the workers how many times she would have to walk around the outside of the building in order to walk a mile.  She said the person told her about ten.   Then she leaned in really close and whispered, “I walked around twelve just to be sure I walked a mile.”  Hahahaha! What a lady!  She loves to keep active, even in a nursing home.  As we talked, I saw no anger or bitterness in her speech or actions. There was only a love for God, a heart of compassion, and a sense of humor. She has befriended the one "prickly pear" at the home because as she said, “I have to love her, so she knows Jesus loves her too.”  Wow!!! I need to live like that!  I want to show that much compassion for those around me that need Jesus.  She loved to talk about God and what he was teaching her. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thank You God For Turning Our Ashes into Beauty

There are tragedy and sadness in everyone's life, No one is exempt. Yet, in the midst of the hurt and pain, God is there. He takes the things that hurt us and make us sad and turns them into things are beautiful. The death of my mother  was a tragedy to my dad. However, because of that tragedy, my dad began to see his need for God. In his brokenness, he found a God that could make him whole.  God turned his ashes into beauty. My dad, in turn, taught me to love God.   I am blessed to know God as my savior because of my dad. God also blessed me with a lovely step-mom Life is harsh at times, and many things are sad,  Yet, if we let him, he will take our ashes and make them into a work of art.   He delights in making the ash heaps of our life beautiful.   When we are broken, God is near, and where there is sorrow, he will turn it into dancing.   Thank you, God, F...
Post a Comment
Read more