Be There!

Don't hesitate to step in and help.

If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business,"

will that get you off the hook?

Someone is watching you closely, you know - 

Someone not impressed with weak excuses.

Proverbs 24:12-13

 

I was sitting in my office this afternoon, preparing to teach a Sunday School class tomorrow, when I heard my cell phone ringing in the dining room.  That fact was amazing in itself, because I almost never hear my cell phone when it is that far away from my current location.  I sprinted down the hall and through the living room, reaching my phone just as it quit ringing.  The call was from one of my music students, so I immediately called back.  The phone was answered by a young woman in deep distress, sobbing so hard that I couldn't make out a single word.

My first reaction was a quick prayer of thankfulness that the crying child on the phone was not one of my own.  My second reaction was panic - this is not one of my kids, and something is terribly wrong, and do I really want to deal with this?  That second reaction flew by swiftly, as the sure knowledge settled in that I heard my phone ring because God knew that someone needed me, and that He would enable me to handle whatever was wrong.

The sweet girl on the phone was completely broken:  everything that could go wrong had gone wrong, for almost a month now, and whatever had just transpired in her life was the straw that broke the camel's back.  She slipped into the darkness of utter despair, questioning her very existence.  I concentrated on getting her to focus and not cry, so that I could understand what she was saying, but the emotional impact of what I could hear was overwhelming.  Would anyone miss me if I was gone?  Do I have any value at all?  Is there a reason for me being alive?

 

I prayed a great deal during that phone call, feeling completely inadequate for the task.  Years have taught me, however, that when God calls me to step forward to help another of His children, He is not asking me to do it alone.  He understands my weakness and the limitations of my wisdom.  He is right beside me, offering His wisdom and grace - using my hands and my heart to bless a hurting soul.

 

We are His hands to touch the world around us,

We are His feet to go where He may lead.

And we are His love, burning in the darkness,

We are His love, shining in the night.