how do you help? how can you not?

OK, so we pray to have a heart to help others... We preach about service, we have classes about overflowing like a fountain, we email and encourage each other...

But when the rubber meets the road and we are in the middle of dealing with our broken selves and our broken friends, how do we help? People are hurting and situations are messy and sometimes I just don't want to deal with any more stuff...

But then the Spirit of God sends me some kind of gentle reminder that I am every bit as broken as my friend who is addicted to prescription painkillers.... God reminds me that my messy-ness is no less messy than my buddy who struggles with anger and violence issues... God nudges me to understand that my need for a Savior is every bit as acute as theirs. My sin may not be as public or as noticable, and I may do a better job of masking it... but I am broken and needful of forgiveness, just like my friends who may seem more messed up than me....

And through all that, God loves me anyway. Before I was born, He knew me and loved me and sent His only child to take my sin away by taking it on Himself and dying on that tree.

And when He is finished nudging me and reminding me, I am moved beyond words... and I am moved into action. My gratitude is so deep that I truly have no choice but to try and help my fellow sinner. When I pay attention to all that He does for me, my awareness of the needs of others is heightened to the point that I act.

What excites me more than anything is that so many people are starting to realize the REAL REASON for studying the Bible... We (me at the top of the list) are finally starting to understand that studying His Word is more than memorizing scripture or using verses to 'proof out' our 'doctrine'... We are just beginning to get it!: that the very most important reason for Bible Study is PREPARATION!

When we read about Joseph dealing with his brothers who sold him into slavery, we learn how to deal with people (specifically brothers) who abuse us. When we read about the small band of Christians who were praying for Peter's release from prison, we learn how to pray and be hopeful... and when we understand the story of the cross, we learn how to treat others more gracefully... and on and on and on....

Yeah, dealing with people is messy.... and it is exhausting... but it is the natural response of someone who is beginning to understand the Grace of a Mighty God.

I am really trying to be a better servant... I don't do it well... and I don't do it nearly often enough. But I think the fact that I am more aware is a step in the right direction...

How 'bout you? How do you help? How can you not?