In the Source this month we are focusing on the life area of Service & Giving back. I have learned that when we feel the least like reaching out, that’s when we need to the most.
During a particularly low period of my life, even the basic activities of daily living were difficult. I found myself just trying to get through each day, plodding along as if in a daze.
Feeling totally burnt out, I continued my part-time job at the hospital, but with low energy and little motivation. Toward the end of my shift one day, I heard a baby crying and went to investigate. To my surprise, I discovered that the baby’s mother stepped out of the room, and the baby had ended up with his feet sticking out of the crib. I lowered the rail, picked up the redheaded three-month-old, and he immediately quit crying.
I will never forget what happened that magic moment. My own pain was forgotten as I reached out to comfort another. Amazingly, as the baby was comforted in my arms, I found myself also comforted
For years I had heard people say that we are often healed as we reach out to heal others—that our needs are met not by focusing our attention on ourselves, but by seeking to meet the needs around us. But until that moment of compassion for a needy infant in the hospital, I had never experienced this amazing principle for myself.
Are you familiar with the story of Jesus healing a man’s withered hand by commanding him to stretch it out? (Mark 3:1-5) The man obediently complied, and in doing so he abandoned the place where he was stuck. His hand was perfectly restored!
What if we stretched out our withered hands, leaving behind our debilitating self-centeredness by giving practical proofs of love? Instead of nursing our hurt and focusing inward, what if we used our energy to help others by making meals for new moms or people who are disabled? What about buying a box of 20 thank-you cards and writing a special note to someone once a week?
My dad recently told me a touching story about this principle. In the early 1940s, World War II was still raging, and Americans faced rationing for the sake of the war effort. There were many hobos roaming the countryside, many of whom were homeless, disabled soldiers who were home from the war. Many of these military heroes had lost legs or arms trying to defend the cause of freedom, and it was gut-wrenching to see them in such a deplorable condition.
Dad shared how his mom, my Grandma , used to reach out to these hobos in their distress. They would stop by her tiny house, and she would offer them whatever food she had available. Sometimes this was a hot plate or bowl from her dinner, but more often it was just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She would talk with these wounded men and hear their stories as they sat on her back steps and ate.
Grandma had six kids, a meager income, and not a lot of material possessions. But she gave what she had. My grandma couldn’t give the soldiers back their missing legs or arms. But she helped to at least restore some of their dignity. And in the process of helping these needy souls, I’m sure my grandma found some additional peace and solace for her own soul.
So if you are still living with the loose ends of grief or depression, I have good news: There’s hope for your healing. But you’ll probably have to reach out and touch somebody with your formerly withered hand. This may be as simple as calling to encourage someone who’s been down, or it may be as grand as throwing a big party for a friend. Or God may call you to do something you deem impossible.
So what are you waiting for? Even in your weakness, you have the power to make this world a better place.
What about you?
•Write down one or two actions God is leading you to take in order to be a blessing to others in the near future.
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