A Helping Hand

  I am so blessed with such great friends and family. The words of encouragement help get me through the days when I want to just give up. Not a day goes by when someone asks what they can do to help, as well, I too want to help others every day as they are struggling. I have tried to compile a list in areas where we can all help those who are struggling in any situation, not just illness.  

  If I look around, I can always find that there are greater needs than my own. While I find myself thinking: I really want to help them, but what do they need most? I can’t physically do a lot to help, but there really is so much more I can do.

  As human beings, I feel we all need the following qualities in our lives to help us through our toughest times. Let me try to break it down.

  Prayer: Regardless of the situation, the power of prayer is the greatest thing you can give an individual going through a trial in life.

  Trust: We need to sense acceptance and value from others without judgment of our behaviors, feelings, reactions, displays of emotion, and lack of functioning; this includes confidential and consistent care through a crisis.

  Relational Support: We need the presence of people who are comfortable with silence, who are aware of our needs, and who are both consistent and dependable.

  Hope: We need encouragement from other people.  Their commitment to pray for us. We need their dependable and calming presence amidst our doubts, our coping techniques, our mood swings, our lack of control, and our familial demands. We need to see a ray of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel.

  Guidance: We need help developing new skills, healthy coping strategies, self-awareness, problem-solving skills, stress-management techniques, and the capacity to deal well with relational conflicts.

  Affirmation of strengths: We need others to possess a positive regard for our personal development and character formation.

Patience: We need time to cry, to be mad, to have a pity party, to let go of wishes and dreams, to express hardship and sorrow, and to adjust to our new normal of activity.

  Discovery of meaning and purpose in life: We need the opportunity to rebuild, restructure, reframe, and release life as it was before our crisis, so that we can live life as it is now.

  Your Time: This priceless act of selflessness is the only thing that you alone can give. Your time is a valuable thing to offer someone going through a trial. Something as simple as just being there may be all it takes to help someone get through their day.

  Next time you encounter someone who is struggling, ask God how He might use you to create a supportive environment where healing can happen.

Believe it or not...

Believe it or not, I have a decision to make.
Regardless of today’s issues or the circumstances that leave me feeling trapped or without hope, I am still free. What is that freedom? It’s the freedom to choose my attitude and actions in the midst of my struggles.
Several years ago, I had to come to grips with this fact. I had blamed God for my circumstances, fallen relationships, unfulfilled dreams, and what I believed were unanswered prayers and unjust circumstances. I had put Him into a box. If I wasn’t relieved of pain or removed from disappointments, then I would think God had somehow fallen down on the job. Now that isn’t a lovely thing to admit, but it is the truth. Coming to grips with being responsible and knowing the unchanging truths about life have taken time for me.
You may be struggling in a similar way today. However, making poor choices will never get you the freedom you want. You can choose to rebel, to fight God and others, to deny your anger, to wallow in victim-like passivity, or to disconnect from reality altogether. You are free to choose to go your own way, to make decisions based on your feelings, or to go with the crowd. You are free to choose what path you will walk. Maybe the only choice you feel you have available is what you are going to believe today about existing in the midst of your struggles. I have, through my own circumstances learned things about the Lord. Today, as you consider making your choices, here are two thoughts to ponder.
1)   Remember what God has promised. Evaluate His promises. Throughout Scripture, God promised to be our comfort in times of sorrow and pain, to be a refuge when we are afraid, to love us unconditionally despite our actions or attitudes, to be patient, to listen, and to show mercy and kindness and forgiveness. But also remember that He never promised life without challenges, days without pain, constant happiness as the world defines it, public success, popularity. And He didn’t promise that we’d always get our own way or that we could earn or lose our salvation. Our Lord and Savior supplies for our needs in the midst of our struggles in life, but He does not promise to remove our struggles. Choosing to believe God’s eternal promises brings us to a place of peace and rest.
2)   Remember what God has provided. Begin with what God provided to those in Scripture. He provided forgiveness, words, and courage for Moses. He gave David songs for his soul, rocks for his sling, and peace when he failed. He gave Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Daniel endurance. He gave Habakkuk forewarning. And by His grace, He has provided salvation through Jesus. In our lives today, He is giving us an opportunity to open the eyes of our heart and see things from His perspective, not ours.
In Deuteronomy, the Israelites had been held as captives for almost 500 years when God called Moses to lead the people toward freedom. On the promise of entering the land God had prepared, Moses said these words to God’s people:
“You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

Christ did not bind you to misery but made a way which frees you. You can choose to follow Him thoroughly by saying a simple prayer,

“Lord, I need you to save my soul, to open the eyes of my heart. Help me allow you to lead me for the rest of my life. I choose you, Lord; I surrender my life to you.”