September 26, 2024

                      Help Is Waiting

The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

– Judges 6:14

The photos are sobering. Truck after truck after truck of linemen waiting in various staging areas. Ambulances driving one after another on the interstate. Cargo containers filled with supplies lined up one after another.

They are waiting for the storm to pass. Literally. Then they will begin their last trek toward the horror zone. It’s almost impossible to envision what awaits them. Yet we can. Six years ago Hurricane Michael destroyed Mexico Beach. Now Hurricane Helene is poised to destroy an area further east.

God called Gideon to go. Gideon was full of excuses. He checked and double-checked to make sure that it truly was God calling him. But in the end Gideon went. Why? Because God would be there, leading the way and saving His people.

We forget that sometimes. God is with us. We can ask for and accept His help. Or we can go our own way and try to do it on our own. Sometimes I think God allows the hard because it’s in that place where we are most likely to depend on Him.

The coming days, weeks and years – yes, years – will be difficult for the people who experience a direct hit from Hurricane Helene. But they won’t travel the road alone. Help is waiting on the edge of disaster.

I am so thankful for the people who answer the call to go. May God direct their every movement, keeping them safe as they live out their mission to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

September 1, 2023

 

Call Out to God

 

We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.

– 2 Chronicles 20:12c

 

I love this passage of Scripture. God’s people were about to face a mighty army that they couldn’t possibly defeat. Jehoshaphat was terrified. He took his fears and his petitions before the LORD, the Mighty One who could help.

 

How many times do we run to God with our petitions and our fears, our needs and our wants? It’s when we have used all our resources that we plead to God Almighty for help.

 

How do you stand against the enemy? It could be sickness, a job loss, betrayal. It might be depression, caregiving, financial uncertainty. The enemy takes on many, many cloaks with one end in mind – to derail God’s people from our purpose.

 

But we are not without help. We have a God who loves us more than we can ever comprehend. He stands ready to help but we must ask for that help.

 

This is what God told King Jehoshaphat: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15b)

 

We don’t have to battle the enemy alone! God doesn’t expect us to. God knows what we need and he’s right there beside us, in the battle, strengthening us and giving us the courage and wisdom we need to accomplish His purposes.

 

Does that mean that God always answers us in the way we would choose? Not at all. Sometimes the answer He gives will break our hearts. But we can trust that God loves us more than we can humanly comprehend. God sees the big picture and knows how it’s all going to turn out. For our good and His Glory.

 

Don’t ever be afraid or panic when the enemy seems to be closing in. Call on the power and wisdom of the One who created the universe. Cling tightly to His promises and He will cling tightly to you.

April 16, 2019

The Call

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. – 1 Corinthians 12:26

It was a simple note sent to all church members. A couple in the congregation were facing a major health situation and needed a few weekly meals delivered to their home. It’s a simple request. Basic. Needed. Necessary.

The rest of the story: She’s been diagnosed with a horrible disease that is slowly robbing her body of its ability to function, while leaving her mind completely aware of what’s happening. There is no cure. She faces a future of suffering before blessed death arrives.

We are quick to celebrate with those embracing joyful times: marriage, the birth of a child, graduation, job success, and on and on. That is as it should be. But perhaps the most revealing times of faith are when we walk beside the suffering, the heartbroken, the dying. It’s not easy, especially when you know the outcome will be healing in heaven rather than on this earth. But it is necessary.

Providing a meal doesn’t seem like much but it’s really so much more than food. It’s about the walk, the love, the joining of hands. Faith was never meant to lead us on a solitary journey. We do what we can along the way and, in so doing, we become the hands and feet of Jesus.

November 8, 2018

Help People

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. – Philippians 2:3-4

Late yesterday afternoon during a torrential downpour I drove to a neighboring town. Why? Because a friend’s truck, which was in the shop for repair, was ready to be picked up. He needed a ride. I provided it.

Was it convenient? No. Was it fun? Nope. White-knuckle driving isn’t fun. But he needed a ride and I was able to give him one. Gladly, I might add. Because we all need someone sometimes.

We live in a world that tells us to look out for number one. Life has become a continual competition. We must “win” at any cost, against anyone else. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or family or church or neighborhood. We’ve got to be out front or we’ve lost. That’s what the world tells us, anyway.

In Jesus’ kingdom, just the opposite is true. We are to be servants. We are to help people. We are to share what we have freely with others, whether we believe they deserve it or not.

We brush that last bit aside. We choose to ignore what Jesus really said and focus on what makes sense to us. Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t easy. Why? Because it’s not about us. It’s about Him. It’s about serving the people He loves, whether it’s convenient or not.

A few years ago I called on a friend to give my Mother a ride home. We were at the hospital where my Dad was in ICU. I didn’t have time to take her home and be back for the next visitation. She was worn out and needed to rest. It was one of many times when I was torn apart trying to balance the needs of two elderly parents.

This friend drove about 30 miles to get her, then another 30-plus miles to take her home. Then he had another 22 miles to get back to his home. It wasn’t a quick trip. And that’s without adding in the slow movements of an elderly person. He did it anyway. Would you?

I’ve had people go out of their way to help me with cows, with furniture, with downed trees. I’ve had people who show up again and again, whether it’s at the hospital or my home, just because they wanted to know I was okay.

On the flip side of that, I’ve tried to be there for others. It’s not always easy. I’ve sat in hospital rooms, spent the day taking a mom to see her daughter in ICU in another state, baked cakes to entice finicky eaters, and done many other things. Why? Because it matters.

People remember that you show up. You don’t need fancy words or a bank full of money. You don’t need to be able to fix what’s broken. You just need to be there.

And it needs to be about them. What do they need? What service can you provide? How can you help? It’s not about what you want but what they want.

 Most of the time helping others isn’t convenient. Do it anyway. It’s rarely easy. Do it anyway. It can drain you emotionally and physically. Do it anyway. You’ll never regret helping someone who is truly in need.

October 25, 2018

Give and Receive

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

– Galatians 6:2

I am amazed. Thankful. Beyond grateful. Friends arrived to help me clear trees from the last two fence lines. They were amazing.

I didn’t ask for help. I have that pride thing going when it comes to that. I know. I’m working on it. I just don’t want to be a burden to anyone so I try really hard to handle things on my own. They came anyway.

It’s amazing how several people can quickly accomplish what it would take one person hours and hours to do. I think God always knew we’d need each other. He wanted us to reach out, to help, to live lives focused somewhere besides on ourselves.

We’ve seen a lot of reaching out lately in our part of the world. The aftermath of Hurricane Michael is just a news blurb for most people now. But for the victims, well, the nightmare has only just begun. The need is great.

People show up every day with food and water. They donate clothes and shoes, toys and diapers, towels and pillows. They come with chainsaws and work gloves, and buckets filled with cleaning supplies. Because these people need more than prayers. They need the hands and feet of God’s people.

We all need help at some time in our lives. Several years ago a sweet woman brought her three children to church every Sunday. Her son was in elementary school and she had twin infant daughters. They lived in a rural area. Her husband was deployed – again. She worked a fulltime job. She was overwhelmed. But she came to church. Why? Because for a couple of hours a week she could turn her babies over to the loving and capable ladies who volunteered in the nursery and soak in the peace of Christ.

One Saturday, the youth and several adults went to her house. They mowed and pulled weeds. They trimmed back trees and did numerous handyman chores. They did the things her husband would have done if he hadn’t been serving in a war zone. She was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Surely, she needed our prayers. And we all did pray for her and her children. But she needed help, the kind of help that shows up to rock babies and do yardwork.

Prayer is so very powerful. It’s our first line of defense and our first source of wisdom and direction. But don’t let it be your only outlet when it comes to serving others. Sometimes we all need to feel the physical presence of Jesus, as shown to us through the hands and feet of His people.

There’s a time to give and a time to receive. So give of yourself, your time, your efforts and, when your circumstances change, receive with gratitude and grace the offerings from others.

October 17, 2018

Help for Today and Tomorrow

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

The local Emergency Management Agency was adamant. Do Not Go. Just don’t. At least, not without a plan. Register in advance and know where you are going and what you will be doing.

Everyone wants to help Hurricane Michael victims. There’s just so much devastation in such a large area. Do you go to Panama City? Do you head to Marianna or Gordon or any of the other inland towns that are devastated?

And what do people really need at this stage? Many don’t have toilets that flush, lights that work, nonperishable food, diapers and toiletries and, oh yes, water to drink.

The trouble comes when the influx of volunteers who don’t have a plan interferes with the recovery efforts of groups and agencies that are trying to set up a smooth, efficient organization to help people with the greatest needs.

Don’t get me wrong. They want help. They want donations. They want financial assistance to help pay for supplies and housing and other necessities for people who are desperate. But it needs to be done safely and efficiently.

Our church has been delivering supplies to devastated areas every day. Our associate pastor is from a town just inland from Mexico Beach, which took the hardest hit. He owns a home there and has family scattered throughout the area. He is also a trained medic and volunteer with a local fire department. Another church member is with EMA. We also have many others who have specialized training for just such a time as this.

The needs are specific. At first, the need was water, food, hand sanitizer, diapers, and such. Another day the need was chainsaws and files and chains. Those who go each day to deliver the supplies and work know exactly where they are going and what they will do that day.

As our senior pastor noted, there will be many opportunities in the coming months and years to volunteer in these areas. There won’t be a quick fix. We can’t just rush in and cut a few trees, pile up some debris and call it good. Everything is gone. There are many hurting people who will need help for a very long time. Remember: They have lost their homes, all of their possessions and, in most cases, their jobs.

The time will soon come when Hurricane Michael is just something that happened to someone else. We’ll all move on with our lives and focus on something else. But for the people who are suffering, well, the journey has only just begun. They’re going to need us all when the rest of the country has forgotten what they’ve been through and what they are still going through.

So, give and do what you can right now. Work with a reputable agency or group. If you volunteer, make sure you go through the appropriate groups, register and have a plan. Pray without ceasing for guidance as you help.

And remember that they will need you later too. One day the debris will be gone and the rebuilding will begin. They’ll need help. Homes must be built and furnished. Schools must be rebuilt and filled with desks and chairs and lockers and musical instruments and sports equipment. Something as simple as rebuilding a playground can do so much for morale.

It’s going to be a long journey. Will you be there for the long haul?

October 13, 2018

Step Up Or Stay Home

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25:40

She was done. Fed up. This normally even-tempered woman was going to have her say. I understood.

Her town received much damage in Hurricane Michael. She isn’t complaining about that. She’s still got a home and she’s grateful. Power will be restored eventually. All the limbs will be cut and hauled off. Life will resume. She knows it could have been much worse.

Her complaint stems from the looky-loos driving slowly down her street. They aren’t there to help. They’re there to get a good look at all the damage. They obviously don’t have a lot of damage at their own homes. If they did, they wouldn’t have time to be out driving around.

They need to go home, she said with uncharacteristic anger. If they aren’t here to help, they don’t need to be here at all. I know. She was tired. Stressed to the max. Trying to clean up what the winds tore up.

But she has a good point. We’ve been blessed by those who have shown up and put feet and hands to their faith. We’re so fortunate by those who are gathering supplies – water, generators, toiletries, food – and heading to those areas where people are in desperate need.

And then there are those who want to talk about it but never actually get around to doing anything. They are the looky-loos who would rather observe than actually get their hands dirty with work.

Of course, I can handle that better than those who make empty offers they never plan to follow up with. You know the ones. “Call me if I can do anything,” they’ll say. “Just let me know what you need,” they add.

But they are never available and never follow through. A sweet friend had some serious health issues a couple of years ago. She was so frustrated by those who offered to help but, when called on, could only make excuses. She wanted to know why people make offers when they have no intentions of doing anything.

I think it’s because they want to feel good about themselves. Somehow it makes them feel like they’ve done something simply because they’ve made an offer. They’ve somehow convinced themselves they’ll never get called, never be asked, never have to step up.

We’ve all seen it. Just make a call and they’re just too busy. Or the time isn’t convenient. Or they just can’t physically do it. Then why offer? Just don’t say anything. That was my friend’s frustration. No one asks you to offer so, unless you plan to step up, don’t say anything.

These are challenging days. Mexico Beach is gone. Panama City, Port St. Joe, Lynn Haven and so many other coastal communities have major damage that will take years to rebuild. And that’s just along the coast. It doesn’t consider all the communities inland who also suffered severe damage and destruction. These storm victims don’t need empty words or looky-loos. They need real help. They need people who are willing to sweat, sacrifice, give. They need hugs and hope.

So, if you aren’t willing to help, stay home. People are hurting and they don’t deserve to be your entertainment.

September 13, 2018

Watch Your Words

To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue. – Proverbs 16:1

I don’t know her. It was one of those God things that brought us together. She wanted something I had to sell. I certainly didn’t know she was four months into her season of grief. And she surely didn’t know grief was something I understood. But God brought us together for a moment and that turned out to be a good thing.

She was trying to move on. Her friends were trying to be helpful, encouraging even. Get over it, they advised. Start a new life, they said. Redecorate your house with something that’s new and different, they told her. They wanted to help but all they did was pour more anguish into her fresh wounds.

Everyone grieves differently. There’s no right or wrong way. Some people have an uncanny knack for bouncing back. Most of us linger in the pain for a while. She is one of those.

Some days are good, she told me. Other days she can barely function. It’s all normal to me. It might have been normal to her had she not had such well-meaning people in her life. She thought she should push forward and pretend she was okay, even on the hard days. She was beating herself up because she just couldn’t.

My advice? Give yourself a break. Enjoy the good days and take care of yourself  on the bad days. If you need to cry, go ahead and cry. If you need to mope, go ahead and do it. Just don’t stay there. Grief is a journey and there are no quick fixes.

Her friends mean well. They do. They just don’t understand what they haven’t lived. That’s true in so many areas of life.

I had a friend tell me I didn’t know what it was like having children. She’s right. I don’t. But as I reminded her, she doesn’t know what it’s like to not have the children you once desperately wanted. The shock on her face still makes me chuckle. She had never considered the other side.

I am in a Bible study on Job. We talked about how well-meaning friends can say the absolutely worst things. Friends can hurt us deeply without realizing the weight of their words. They make assumptions. They speak from themselves without considering the differences. They aim to fix what only God can heal.

Sometimes the absolutely best thing you can say to someone hurting is – drum roll here – nothing. Just give them a hug. Sit quietly beside them. Walk with them. You can’t fix it. You can’t. But you can love them without hurting them.

That’s not to say that we don’t sometimes need friends to speak truth into our lives. Notice earlier that while I encouraged this woman to cry and mourn, I also told her not to live there. I speak from experience. I spoke from a heart that has known deep pain. And she heard that in my words.

Some seasons of life are just hard. I know it’s something I say a lot but I do so because it’s true. I also do so because there are just so many hurting people in this world. Don’t add to their pain with careless words. Don’t try to fix them or their situation. Just love them and trust God to heal them.

June 7, 2018

God Helps Every Time

I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. – Psalm 121:1-2

Casting Crowns had a song out several years ago titled “Praise You in This Storm.” It includes the words from this Psalm. I love that they put music to this and that they used it to remind us that no matter what comes, God will help us.

Sometimes horrible things happen and we desperately need help. More often, though, it’s the small things that knock us around and cause us to cry out for help. It’s the four-wheeler with one wheel in a deep hole that won’t be budged. It’s the sick cow that needs a diagnosis. It’s the ride home from the hospital.

I am blessed to have wonderful, caring people in my life. I know that they are only a phone call away. They are people who will come, who actually put legs to their faith. I try to be like them. I fail regularly but I do try.

One important lesson I’ve learned is knowing when to ask for help. I joke about the things that are “above my pay grade.” Honestly, most things I can do on my own. I’ve learned that I can do quite a bit when I don’t have someone standing beside me telling me I can’t.

And then there are those things that require someone with experience. Some tasks need two sets of hands or equipment I don’t own. And some things just need to be explained so that I can do it on my own, like driving the tractor.

But there are some people who mean well that insist on doing things for me. It’s for my own good, they say. Another lesson: When people start telling you what they need to do for you for your own good, run in the opposite direction. It’s not about you. It’s about them. They will almost always lead you down the wrong path.

It’s not that they don’t mean well. They do. It’s just that no one person can do everything, be everything, for someone else. It quickly becomes a lopsided friendship with one person thinking they can run the other person’s life. That’s not healthy for anyone.

God is my helper. He’s the One I go to first when I have a need. He’s the One I always seek advice from. His opinion is the one that matters most to me.

Does He use people to help me? Absolutely. But He also teaches me that I’m a lot more competent than I ever thought. And He teaches me that He will always be there, always provide, always guide me.

That unsettles some people. They want to hold that position in my life. They want to tell me what’s best for me. It seems like I’ve heard it all. Funny thing is that what’s best for me in their eyes always ends with them getting me to do what they want.

Do you have someone who wants to control you in your life? Do you have someone who wants to take God’s place in your life? They probably don’t even realize it. But you should.

I’ve learned a lot on this life journey and it’s mostly that God is loving and dependable. I can always count on Him. I can’t say that about anyone else. People let each other down again and again. We just do. We can’t always be there and be there in the way someone else wants or needs.

We don’t always give the best advice. Our thoughts and opinions, our experiences and challenges, color our words. No matter how objective we think we’re being, we aren’t.

When I need help, I look to God first. I know He will help me. It might be showing me the way or it might be sending someone to me. But God will help me. Every time. Count on it.

March 19, 2018

It Takes A Community

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

– Ecclesiastes 4:12

The small white calf stood on the wrong side of the barbed wire fence. I quickly pressed the brakes and turned around, heading back toward the disaster-waiting-to-happen. No one needed a wreck caused by a wayward calf in the road.

Another woman had already pulled over. She was a city-girl who’d somehow found herself living in a nearby country town. She liked cows. She just didn’t know anything about them. That was obvious when she explained that she’d tried to pet the calf but he ran from her. Newsflash: This calf was not an escapee from the petting zoo.

I decided I might need to hang around. My cousin had already called the owner (Who is married to another cousin. It’s a small-town thing.) I realized it would take him at least 30 minutes to arrive. I settled in to talk to my new “friend.”

The little calf decided the grass might be greener on the other side of the road. The woman and I quickly sprang into action, stopping traffic in both directions and herding the calf around a bend and away from the road. Another couple pulled off the highway and hurried to help.

We managed to corner the calf just as Mama Cow arrived. My new friend wanted no part of Mama Cow and backed off. With the couple’s help, we “encouraged” the calf to go back under the fence and to safety. Disaster averted.

It took all of us to make it happen. Have you ever attempted to force a wayward calf to go where you want him to? I have. It’s something only America’s Funniest Home Videos would enjoy. But with the help of others, we were able to herd the calf to safety.

That’s how life is. Some things are just hard or impossible when we’re struggling to get through them on our own. We need help. We need someone who understands. We need to know that we aren’t alone.

A dear friend talks about getting devastating news about her son. He’d done something awful and was sitting in a jail cell. Her heart was shattered. A friend came to her house and refused to leave. The friend sat with her, silently, as time passed slowly by. No words could alleviate her pain but the support of someone just being there helped her get through that time of shock and heartbreak.

Another friend talks about the stack of cards that she treasures. They are a visual reminder of the love and prayers that have surrounded her as she fights cancer. In these days when she can’t always safely be around others because of her weakened immune system, those cards tell her that she isn’t alone. She is loved. She is strengthened by the presence of others.

Friends take away our loneliness. They encourage us and advise us, laugh and cry with us. We were never meant to do life alone. It takes a community of believers to navigate this world and withstand the temptations and trials all around us. We are strengthened by the presence of others. We are blessed by community.

February 9, 2018

Be Jesus To The Least Of Them

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. – James 2:10

He is a good man. He loves Jesus. He volunteers with his church. He volunteers with a men’s ministry. Sometimes he helps friends and neighbors.

One might say he is overly ambitious in his love for the Lord. His service is spotty. He makes many promises but he only keeps some. He doesn’t mean to do that. It’s just that he makes too many commitments and fails to remember most of them.

His heart intends to do good. His actions say dishonest and undependable. I have found him to be wonderful in an emergency. He is present and good and helpful. Just don’t count on him during the long run. He won’t show up.

Another friend once ran a ministry. He was great at the speaking events. He was a hard worker during the fundraiser and a passionate advocate for checks to good causes. But when it came to changing a light bulb for an elderly church member, well, he couldn’t be bothered. He was awesome in the prominent, glorifying arena. But he didn’t care much for service that would never be noticed by anyone but the recipient.

I don’t mean to pick on the men of faith. Women can and are just as bad. They are careful to run meetings and write checks. Please don’t ask them to wash dishes or take food to someone who is poor. It just won’t happen. They’re just too busy.

They are us. It clearly violates Jesus’ teaching but we turn a blind eye to that. We may say it’s all about Him but, really, we want it to be all about us.

We are the do-gooders. We want to do good. We mean to do good. We just get so busy, so distracted, so focused on what looks good and feels good that we miss the poor, the elderly, the sick. Because helping isn’t about offering up a prayer or a check, no matter how wonderful those things are.

Being Jesus means showing up during the hard times. It means getting dirty when the situation calls for manual labor. It means buying groceries and doing the laundry and sitting with someone in a hospital so the family member can actually go outside for a break.

When the day is done, it isn’t the lofty promises that people remember. It isn’t the checks that they recall. What matters most is the gift of time. It is the helping hand that remembered to show up. It is the smile and hug that lifted a worn spirit. It is the gracious kindness of walking a worn path with someone who was tired, hurting, alone.

Don’t make promises you won’t keep. And don’t write a check and call yourself good. Show up. It matters. Be Jesus to the least of them on this earth. 

February 6, 2018

Do What's Inconvenient

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

It was an ordinary outpatient procedure, albeit in a different hospital than the one we were accustomed to. After all that had happened, this was just so very minor.

We had found our way to the right place. We’d done the paperwork (There is always paperwork!) and waited our turn. We followed a nurse down a long hallway, my parents and I. Mother was readied for the procedure and there we sat. And sat. And sat.

My Dad was never one to miss a meal so he headed across the street to a fast food restaurant, promising to bring something back for me. We were still sitting there when he returned. Mother got more aggravated with each passing moment. We’d been in that shabby room for hours.

Finally! A nurse came to collect her. And another nurse informed my Dad and I that we would need to move to the appropriate waiting room, some distance away. I gathered up all our things: Mother’s purse and mine, another bag with snacks, medicine and paperwork, two jackets, her walking stick, yet another bag with her clothes and my Diet Coke. I looked over at my Dad. He carried his Diet Coke in one hand and tightly clutched a bag carrying a second burger in the other hand. Away we went.

This was quite normal in my world, me laden down with everyone’s things. I sure wish I’d had a camera ready, though, to take a photo of the volunteer’s face when we finally entered the correct waiting room. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open as I entered, balancing everything so I could hold the door open for my Dad.

I just shrugged. She shook her head. Welcome to my world.

The other day I drove my cousin to see her daughter who was in a hospital ICU some distance away. People told me I was kind. What a good thing, someone said. It was my turn to shake my head. Of course, I’d driven her. I didn’t need praise for doing it. She wasn’t able to drive herself and she needed to go.

The real question for me was why no one else had offered to drive her. I wasn’t the only one who could have done so. I wasn’t the only relative or friend or church member. There were plenty who could have helped. They chose not to.

We’re always ready to do our part so long as it doesn’t inconvenience us. We’re happy to help by writing a check or doing something fun. But, honestly, there’s nothing fun about a long drive and a day in the hospital.

The Bible has numerous accounts of Jesus being inconvenienced by others. He didn’t seem to mind. He never pushed his obligations off on someone else. He never dismissed someone in need with the obligatory “I’ll pray for you.” Jesus did what He could where He was. How can we do anything less?

I’m not saying we should all do everything someone else asks us to do. I’m not suggesting that we should attempt to meet every need in this fallen world around us. But neither is it okay to stay in our insulated little world and let someone else always step up to do what we can but won’t.

We are to carry each other’s burdens. Anybody can be there for the celebratory meal or the grand event. Be there during the tough times. Make the sacrifices. Roll your sleeves up and work. That’s when your true faith emerges. That’s when your blessings abound.

January 22, 2018

What Motivates Your Service?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4

He wants to be helpful. He wants to be needed, necessary, valued. He means well. He does. But he pushes people away by giving “help” they don’t need or want.

You see, it’s not about the people he is attempting to help. It’s about his own needs, his own ego, his own issues. He doesn’t see it that way of course. He refuses to listen to anyone who tells him differently. He knows best. He isn’t going to change because he refuses to look past himself to really see the people he is “helping.”

One elderly woman gets so exasperated. Why does he think I can’t get my husband to the car without his help? Why does he think I can’t carry my own purse? He means well, I tell her, but I understand her frustration. She helps her husband every day. They are quite the team. Anyone who interferes with their way of doing things could easily cause something bad to happen – like a fall -- by not understanding what works best for them.

Don’t misunderstand where she is coming from. This isn’t pride on her part. When she needs help, she asks for it. When her husband slid down in the bathroom – he didn’t fall because she was there to ease him down – she called a neighbor to help get him up. When he had chest congestion and couldn’t leave the house, she asked a friend to sit with him while she ran errands.

I understand her frustration. I often have people trying to do things for me that I am capable of doing for myself. They mean well. I try to show grace to the neighbor who thinks he must explain to me how to look after cows. He doesn’t own cows. He really doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But in his own way, he is attempting to help me.

I swallow my words. I try to avoid him. I know way more than he would ever admit. But, most importantly, I am blessed with family and friends who own large cattle operations. I have only to make a phone call and they are offering advice or headed my way to help. I am so thankful to God for this gift of their presence in my life.

The Bible repeatedly tells us to serve others, to help where we can, to love our neighbors as ourselves. Somewhere along the way we forget that it isn’t about us. It’s about the people we are called to serve. It’s about bringing glory to God.

If you find yourself “serving” others in ways that upset them, maybe you should check your motives. Why are you helping? When you are doing something “for” someone that they neither want or need, you really aren’t doing it for them but rather for yourself.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Who Are You Praying For Today?

I life up my eyes to the hills --

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

The Maker of heaven and earth.

-- Psalm 121:1-2

It seems like a season of pain and prayers. Everywhere I turn I see people who are hurting, people struggling with illness and pain, people facing surgery and people enduring beyond what they thought they ever could.

A dear friend had back surgery on Tuesday. Another friend needs it desperately but has to wait for an infection to clear up. Another dear woman, already coping with her husband’s Alzheimer’s, suffers debilitating back pain.

Another man had surgery a few weeks ago, then had to have another procedure. He’s still in incredible pain. A sweet older woman fell and is just so banged up.

A sweet lady learned last week that doctors found another spot on her lung. She’s been battling lung cancer for years and this was such a devastating blow. A sweet couple today took their son to a specialist for a serious ear problem that will likely need surgery.

Need I go on? It seems like so many people around me are facing health issues. Some of them, with the help of doctors and with God’s guidance, should be fine. Others will likely only have healing when they go home to be with Jesus.

It’s so easy to get discouraged, to forget that God is with us even when the path is rocky and seems to never end. Or maybe I should say especially when our path is rocky because He would never leave us to weather the storm alone.

Prayers. That’s what we can do when someone is hurting, when someone is dying, when someone feels hopeless. Sometimes we can give specific help in the form of food, company, rides to the doctor, etc. But we can always pray that God will grant them peace and strength, healing and hope.

We mean to pray, don’t we? We say we will and we fully intend to do it. Except sometimes we forget. Some people have prayer journals. Others try to remember. I try to pray right then or as soon as I can after I learn of the request. For some who are especially close to me, my prayers become a day long thing. Every time I think of them, I lift them up in prayer.

How about you? Who are you praying for today? Don’t put it off. We live in a hurting world that desperately needs God to love and keep them close.

Monday, June 25, 2012

God Hears And Understands

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”

-- Psalm 31:14

There’s a scene in the movie Facing the Giants where the coach is in an orchard, an open Bible in his hands. His world is crashing down around him: his football team is losing, he happens on a secret meeting to generate support to fire him, his car is falling apart and, to make it even worse, he’s found out that he’s the reason he and his wife can’t get pregnant.

“You are my God,” he says. I love that line because of the simple truth of it. Because really, when it comes down to it, there is no one else who really can help besides God.

Last week was a really tough week in a really tough year. Nothing particular happened to make it so. It’s just that sometimes the attitudes and responsibilities of being a necessary, but unwanted, caregiver just zap my emotional strength to the point where I don’t know how I’ll make it through the next five minutes, let alone the years to come.

I am not alone. In fact, I have it so much better than so many caregivers. I know that. And I rarely get mired in self-pity. But some days I just long for someone to understand, someone to see, someone to feel the insults and nasty comments that are daily parts of life. And then I remember: God understands, He sees and He feels my pain. He gives me strength to make it through to another day, a better day.

I can’t imagine how anyone goes through tough times without God. He is my anchor, a very real help in times of trouble. The Bible reminds us that we don’t have to travel this road alone. There is help available just for the asking, no matter what we face.

A dear friend lives with chronic leukemia. Oh, there’s a fancy name for it but the truth isn’t fancy or pleasant. She takes chemo pills every day and will for the rest of her life. She counts herself blessed because she is in remission. But some days are rough. She’s sick and tired and it’s hard to get up and get on with it. But she does it anyway, leaning on God for the strength to make it through another day.

Yet another friend visits her mother several times each week. Her heart breaks a little bit every time. She’s thankful that, so far, her mother still recognizes her. But she also knows that someday in the not so distant future, that won’t be true anymore. The once vital woman who lit up a room is slowing fading away, being replaced by a shell she doesn’t recognize.

“You are my God.” David’s words echo in my mind as I cry out for help, for strength, for understanding. He hears me. He hears you. We don’t have to take difficult journeys alone. God is with us if only we will cry out to Him.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Impossible Is Possible With God

“I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” -- Jeremiah 32:27

Some days are just overwhelming. You’ve heard that old cliché about not knowing whether to laugh or cry. I had one of those days last week and it just about did me in.

Juggling used to be something I was really good at. But somehow juggling business things and personal things are two separate things all together. Probably because one is just dollars and cents and another day at the office. The other is lives and health and people who matter to me.

At times I’m afraid that the stress of it all will draw me toward darkness, even as I cling to the light. How can anyone do it all? How can anyone be all things to all people at all times? The answer is: they can’t. But God can.

The problem comes when I start trying to do it all by myself. Maybe you’ve been there before. The tasks all seem so simple that I don’t want to bother God. And the tasks are simple. But simple task on top of simple task on top of simple task adds up to something that appears overwhelming. And then I’ve got to bother God anyway because I just can’t do it by myself.

I figure He’s up there shaking His mighty head and wondering what took me so long to figure it out. He was there all along, just waiting for me to realize that He cares about the details of my life just as much as the major stuff that happens every now and then.

Other times I can’t see the way. I’m convinced there is no light at the end of the tunnel everyone is telling me about because I just can’t see it happen. I tell myself that there is just no way. How silly? I know better. I do. But still I doubt. I question. I give up without even trying.

Because all I can see is that I can’t do it on my own. I forget about the power behind what I’m called to do. I forget that God has my back. I forget that God will never call me to do something without also giving me and providing me with the power, wisdom and resources to make His will happen.

God can do anything. I know that. I do. He is the God of the universe. The Creator of all things. My LORD. My Savior. My everything. He can do anything. All I’ve got to do is show up.

What has God called you to do today? What have you already given up on without even trying? What has you overwhelmed? Give it to God. Just hand it over and watch what happens. Because there is nothing you can’t do when God has your back.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Give God Credit for His Help

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph. -- Isaiah 50:7

What did you give credit to God for today? You did give God credit for something, didn’t you? Because it’s impossible to have anything good happen, anything wonderful, anything amazing, without God.

It always amazes me that God is the first one many people blame when something bad happens or when they don’t receive what they want. But God is the last one who gets credit when good things happen.

How can that be? God is the creator of everything good. And, well, we sinners are the author of all the bad when we follow Satan instead of God. It isn’t fair to blame God for the bad. It isn’t right. But it happens all the time.

I am so thankful that God watches over me. It doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen. Those things happen to all of us. But God is with me, protecting and strengthening me no matter the circumstances.

I try to always give God credit. Of course, not everyone believes. A week or so ago I drove a new vehicle from Jacksonville to my home. It’s about a five hour drive. The next morning the vehicle wouldn’t crank. The mechanics were baffled. It wasn’t the battery and the computer tests were going weird on them. They finally located the problem -- and were amazed that I made it home. I shouldn’t have, they told me. The vehicle should have left me stranded on the road.

I assured them that God had looked after me. One of the men just shook his head. I told him I was serious. I always ask God to take care of me and He did. To me, it was simple. I don’t know that I convinced that dear man, but maybe I planted a seed. Either way, I KNOW God is the reason I made it safely home.

Last year a dear friend was diagnosed with a horrible disease. She immediately asked for prayers and started treatment. It has been a rocky road but God has strengthened her and carried her when she was too tired and too scared to walk. She’s in remission now and praises God and all those who prayed for her.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. She isn’t cured. She’ll take medicine for the rest of her life. She’ll continue to suffer from fatigue and other side effects from the disease. But she’s alive and doing great. Brilliant light in the storm.

God cares for those who love Him and seek to do His will. So give Him credit for the good in your life. And turn to Him in the bad. Blessings flow no matter what we face -- so long as we keep our eyes focused on our Creator.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

God Offers Help, Hope

He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. -- Psalm 121:3

Sometimes I am so afraid. Am I heading in the right direction? Am I doing what God has called me to do? Am I missing any of the details I’m supposed to see? And how will I ever balance everything I must do?

God has it. He really does. In His own time, in His own way, God has a plan for all of us. Sometimes I can almost hear Him telling me to be patient, to give it time, to give Him time.

A dear friend was in despair a few months ago. She was desperate for a job. She finally received a job offer, which she accepted. It wasn’t what she wanted but, well, it was at least a job in her field.

While she was grateful for the job, all her concerns proved to be true. Long, unpredictable hours and weekend paperwork really cut into her family time. She and her husband have two young children who don‘t understand why their mom has work so much. She was stressed and upset, unsure of what to do.

So she turned to God. Asking for guidance. Begging for help. And she got it. Last week she received two wonderful job offers from places that hadn’t even responded to her resume before. Now she’s trying to determine which job God wants her to take and praising Him for answering her heartfelt prayers.

God doesn’t always do things the way we’d planned. But it’s funny how that works. Working in a horrible situation just makes us appreciate the blessings from God that much more. How can we ever really appreciate the good without knowing how bad things can really get?

That’s what scares me so much sometimes. I know how bad things can get. I know how easily I can head down the wrong road without even trying. Indeed, it’s easy to take a wrong turn even while I’m trying so hard to follow God’s will for my life.

So I keep praying and listening and trying to do what He wants. At times I ask for a sign, as childish as that seems. I just want to know, need to know, that I’m headed in the right direction and that He’s still right there beside me.

Because I know I’ll be alright if He’s there with me. The skies might not always be sunny. The day might turn into dark storms. But with God as my rock and my anchor, I’ll survive the tumult, with a stronger, deeper faith than before.

Sunday, October 31, 2011

Show The World Your Light

“You are the light of the world -- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” -- Matthew 4:14-16

He didn’t need any help. He could drive himself. He could cook. He could take care of his wife. Except his pain was so intense that he broke out in a sweat and his body hunched over. And his wife could barely maneuver with her injured leg and hand.

He didn’t understand. We all wanted to help. It wasn’t about obligation. It was about love and kindness and caring. It was about wanting to do something for people who needed help. It was about knowing they would do the same if the situation was reversed.

The Deep South is known for taking food on every occasion. We take food when someone is sick or injured. We take food when a baby is born or when a loved one goes home. We take food to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Sometimes we take food to the church and sometimes to the home. But we always take food.

A friend once explained that whether someone is hurting or celebrating, we want to do something. Taking food is that something. We don’t know what else to do. It’s how we were raised. It’s what we do.

Not that we don’t show up at other times. Put out the call and someone will respond. My cousin recently built a ramp at the home of a friend who is dying. A youth group did yard work at a deployed soldier’s home. A pastor stayed in the emergency room with someone who never attends church because she didn’t want him to be there alone.

We show up because we can. We show up because deep inside the Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus always shows up when someone is in need. And, yes, when someone is celebrating too. We are His church, His body, His representatives on this earth. Whether we talk about it or not, we know.

A friend said recently that she’d chosen her church because of the caring people. She looked around and saw love and kindness and compassion. Not just for those who were longtime members but for everyone. That matters. It’s what the world sees when we go out and do the tasks that Jesus calls us to do.

So we take food and drive people to doctor appointments. We mow the lawn and scrub the tub. We show people that Jesus’ light still shines in a world that sometimes seems so incredibly dark. We remind those who doubt that Jesus lives in us, giving hope to all people. They see Him in us every time we do something for someone else just because we can

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Help Those In Need

“And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” -- Matthew 25:40

When was the last time you went out of your way for someone? When was the last time you took food to someone who was ill or grieving? When did you last visit someone sick or homebound? How long has it been since you volunteered to drive an elderly neighbor to the doctor or baby-sit someone else’s child for a few hours or help a deployed soldier’s wife with yard work?

Most of us are pretty good at telling other people what they need to do. Most times we’re even pretty good at knowing what we need to do. But doing it, well, that’s something else entirely.

We’re full of excuses. We’re too busy. We don’t have any extra money. Surely, someone else will step up. We’re not good with kids or the elderly or the sick or whoever it is that could use some help. Truthfully, we just don’t want to be bothered.

And, yet, we are called to be bothered. And to be happy about it. Whether it’s convenient or not. Whether we have time or money or talent or patience. We’re called to help people.

Yesterday a young woman came up to me, a shocked expression on her face. My friend had stopped by to leave something for me. In that short time period, she noticed the young woman had on high-heeled shoes while she walked around on an asphalt parking lot. The young woman explained that she had no other shoes, then showed my friend the holes in her soles. My friend gave her $50 in cash and told her to go and buy a pair of shoes.

The young woman told me that no one had ever done anything like that for her. She learned something. She learned that some Christians do live their faith, giving generously to those in need. She learned that true gifts are just that. Gifts. Not a loan and not an obligation to somehow pay back one day. And she learned that kindness exists and sometimes it comes in the form of a stranger who notices a need.

Every day we are called to do something for someone else. It might be helping a stranger afford a new pair of shoes. It might be a bag of groceries left on a doorstep. Or a freshly mown lawn left for a harried single-mom to find. Kindness comes in many forms but it only comes from a caring heart.

Jesus told us to do for those in need. No exceptions. So I’ll ask you again: When was the last time you went out of your way for someone?