Jesus helps those who are helpless before Him. When we have finally given up on ourselves, our strength, our ideas and our pride, we let go and thats when we see His power at work. The trouble is, a lot of us don’t have that kind of faith. One of 3 things happen. First, we don’t believe God will help us. We believe He can, but we don’t believe He will. Second, we really don’t want to totally depend on Him, and we keep a back door open, thinking we can come up with something ourselves. Third, we ask Him for answers, and then don’t want to do what He reveals to us, so we keep asking, hoping to get another answer more to our liking. If we really want His help, we have to let go once and for all and do it His way. If we’re totally honest, we usually know exactly what that is; we just don’t want to do it. We’re scared, or we think we aren’t going to like it, or both. To make room for God you have to clear the workbench of two occupants. One is “I can’t do that”, and the other is ” I would never want to do that”. Push those two occupants off the bench and God will have room to lay out His tools and begin to work.
One of the more interesting questions you can ask a person is whether they have ever read the bible. Most people haven’t read any of it. You can follow up the question by asking why, but you probably won’t have to ask. People will volunteer their reasons for not reading it. You’ll get everything from “its too boring”, “its too hard to understand”, “its too long”, “its just a bunch of fables” to “its a waste of time”. Ask if they can recall reading one book of the bible and which one it is. They can’t remember. They have written off the whole bible when it is, in reality, a library of 66 books. There are books of poetry and history, collections of letters, prayers and visions. The history is more and more being proved reliable by archeological discoveries. Why not just start with the book of Genesis? Its anything but boring, or hard. If a book seems boring, go onto the next one. You’ll be a much wiser, more insightful person just for reading the books of the bible you find interesting. In fact, you’ll be surprised how much it captures your interest, and how much of it you will read. Just be sure to get a good translation. We don’t speak King James English anymore, so reading that can be as difficult at times as reading Shakespeare.
I came across this poem recently:
Love has a hem to her garment
that trails in the very dust.
It can reach the stains of the streets and lanes
And because it can, it must.”
This anonymous poem really makes me stop and think. I like to think of myself as a loving, compassionate person, but am I? Do I mostly love the lovely, the cute, the helpless? Do I love people who are really dirty and smelly, or do I cross the street to avoid them? Do I love people who are loud and rude? Do I love people who are demanding and unreasonable and act as though I somehow owe them help? The dust and stains of the streets and lanes contain plenty of dirty, smelly, loud and obnoxious people. Can I care for them as I would care for myself?
I was exhausted. It had been a six day workweek. I was tired of performing for people, tired of talking, and had a long “to do” list staring me in the face. Friends asked me if I would like to hike a new road, a “fire trail” up into the mountains. I declined. I just felt too tired and too overwhelmed by my “to do” list. Later, they showed me pictures of their hike. It was exquisite scenery, with lovely autumn trees, wildlife, and mountain scenery of the valley below. I was immediately saddened at what I had missed. Pictures didn’t begin to do this afternoon justice, I knew. I wondered what would have happened if I had taken the hike. I would have probably had to do laundry until late in the night. Now, I think that would have been worth it.
A lot of us are just born activists. We feel compelled to fix everything that annoys us. Fixing things is fine, whether they squeak, grind, sputter or drip. Its fixing people that gets us into trouble. I should say attempting to fix people, for none of us can change another. Many of the things about people that annoy us say more about us than about them. A lot of things tone down as we get to know people and really understand them. Some of the irritations are barely noticeable as our compassion increases. Other faults and shortcomings tend to disappear with time and maturity. We needn’t correct every one, as the Lord does that in the lives of those who love Him, and He doesn’t need our help. Arguments and fits of temper often die down as a person’s mood and circumstances change. They may not even remember the argument or blowup after time goes by. Trying to make everything smooth for everyone else, or attempting to fix every disagreement may actually blow up in our faces, as new issues may be raised in the process. Sometimes its best not to try to put out a fire that will burn itself out in time anyway. “Biding our time” was the advice in the old days. It may have been very wise advice for our time too.
Lord,
I appreciate you so much. I so love being alive. If you had never made me, I never would have experienced the beauty of life. If you had never searched for me, I would never have experienced the wondrous joy of knowing You and having sweet communion with You.
I believe what You tell me in Your Word. I trust Your promises. Help me trust You even more. I love You. Help me love You even more. Help me love You as You deserve to be loved. Help me love You to the height and depth it is possible for a human to love You.
Let me serve You. Please enlarge my sphere of service. I will do whatever You ask. Help me serve You to the best of the ability You gave me. Then give me more ability to serve You better. Let me always give You my very best. Let Your home in my heart be that of an honored guest. No leftovers for my Lord. And at the end of my life may You look at my history and say I used every bit of everything You gave me for Your glory. I want to be that good and faithful servent who invested your talents well and produced fruit You love in generous proportions.
Its been said if I think about how humble I am its a sure sign I’m not humble. Humble people seldom think about themselves at all. so lets assume we’re proud people who desire to be humble. The following questions may help us find our way:
1. Do I count my blessings and thank God for them? If I count my misfortunes I may have an attitude of thinking I deserve better. Or I may have the attitude that I’m a victim and somehow a victim is more deserving than most people.
2. Do I trust myself only or do I trust others and God? Pride has an attitude of “only I can do things right”
3. Do I encourage people to be all they can be, or do I nag and manipulate them to be all I want them to be?
4. Do I mind interruptions? Do I value others needs or do mine always have priority? Pride considers my priorities of greater value than other people.
5. Do I forgive? Pride won’t forgive till the other person kneels before my throne.
6. Am I a positive person? Do I see good in people and situations? Pride is critical and considers self too good for whats dealt to it .
7. How do I treat the elderly, children and the disabled? Am I patient and compassionate? Do I find “they” get in my way when I have “important” missions to accomplish?
8. Do I seek to serve others or to direct them?
9. Is it all about me or all about something bigger than me?
10. A humble person can state their truth without demanding agreement. Can I?
Seeking change in my attitudes in order to be more grateful to God and more loving toward others is the first step toward becoming a humble person.
In earlier times, and not so long ago, our well-being depended upon three pillars: family, church and community. When misfortune befell a person, family would help. “Thats what families are for” is certainly a saying I heard often. When troubles were too big for family, the church would help. When someone was sick, church members brought meals, tended children, mowed lawns and filled the hospital waiting room with support and prayer. When the problem was bigger still, the whole community got involved. They helped burned out families, laid off bread winners, widows and orphans. The scope was small, the help was real help and the whole enterprise was personal. If the town helped you, it could expect your help tomorrow. Conversely, when you helped someone, you knew you could be in need yourself the next time.
Now all three pillars are wobbly, and there could be many articles written on the reasons why. But we didn’t keep our foundations repaired. Now when we’re in trouble and want a safety net, about all thats left for many of us is the government. Government help is less helpful in many ways because it is uncaring and impersonal. Better to have the help of those who know you, understand your needs and care about you.
We see it everywhere we go. Couples on a date, both on their cell phones. Parent and child together and both are text messaging. People come from great distances for a conference and spend their breaks on a laptop. People watch the news around the clock, but don’t know their neighbors. Are we having the right conversations? Isn’t face to face conversation the most valuable? Don’t we need voice, facial expressions and touch? Don’t we need to take time for face to face interactions with spouses, children, friends and neighbors. The news we watch usually concerns far away places we can’t help or influence. Yes, we should be informed, but how much do we know about the issues in our own communities where we can make a difference. And, so it goes. Year by year we are more plugged in and more tuned out. And so our marriages die, our kids drift and our communities grow cold.
