Monday, January 27, 2014

Living Life Together



Spending time in a wheelchair and on crutches has opened my eyes to help others in similar predicaments. Sometimes it is hard to help people who are struggling because you don't want to hurt their feelings but I believe if you help with the right heart they will be blessed. Even if they act like they don't want the help it is always good for people to know that someone cares.

Shawn and I saw a man the other day sitting in a wheelchair in the rain trying to get into a building far away. Shawn quickly ran to grab an umbrella and asked me to push him. It broke our hearts to see that people had passed him and didn't offer to help. I went up and asked if he wanted me to push him and I could see he was grateful to know someone cared. But I also knew what it is like to be in that chair and wish that you could be independent. It is so hard to accept help but sometimes you need to.

Do you know someone who is struggling? Perhaps they are like me living with a chronic illness or maybe they are working three jobs to provide for their family. I would challenge you to pray that God will reveal a way for you to help them. Can you send them a meal, pick up their kids from school, take them to a doctor appointment, or pick up groceries for them? I remember when my R.S.D. first started someone offered to do all of my Mom's ironing. What a blessing that was. It was a reminder that we weren't alone in fighting that health battle.

In the past two years many people offered to help but most of the time we were too exhausted to even let them know how they could help us. But each offer was such an encouragement. It was so helpful when someone found a way to help and just did it without asking. For example saying they would like to bring us dinner that week and what day would be good for us. Not having to make as many decisions was relieving.What a beautiful thing it is when we live life together. When we can cry together, laugh together, and share each other's burdens.

We are not meant to live life alone. Don't shut yourself in and try to live life by yourself. And if you are watching your friend struggle be the kind of friend who reaches into the darkness and says I'll walk through this with you. The movie Frozen reminded me how easy it is to live in isolation like Elsa. It is easier to hide than it is to share in each other's lives. But we need each other. We need words of wisdom, words of kindness, and sometimes we need to be told if we're making mistakes. Words have the ability to change your life. The change can be positive or negative that is up to you. Sometimes kindness needs no words. Even a friendly smile can make a difference in someone's day.

I want to be more intentional about living life together. It is so easy for me to stay home by myself but I need to reach out to others. And I need to be intentional about treating others as I wish to be treated. We live in a beautiful world and it would be a pity if we didn't share in that beauty together.