Do you ever need a helping hand? We all do at one time or another. Like the Beatles would sing “I’ll get by with a little help from my friends” So, here is the story. We were blessed by a family member who offered us their place in Costa Rica for a week. My daughter Brook and her kids went and my youngest daughter Erin and her family met us there mid-week.
This place is ruggedly beautiful. One excursion involved going through a preserve with a guide. Great! At any moment I expected to see jaguars, snakes or crocodiles. That matters because I can no longer outrun any member of my family but Janie!
With no advance warning, we come to a swamp crossing made up of old tree stumps. We have to walk across 20 stumps of various sizes and heights. All my kids crossed that so fast you would think they were auditioning for American Ninja Warriors. Did I mention the little stumps were all wet and muddy? I am wondering why we paid good money to put my life at risk. I was already planning if I would fall into the mangrove root system or into the green murky swamp water. Five stumps in and I was stuck. I mean froze up, scared, not going forward and can’t go backwards. I started shouting out instructions on how to get me to the nearest hospital!
Then came the helping hand. My grandson, Noah, walked right through the swamp to come and rescue me with a helping hand. Maybe in the day I could have crossed the swamp with grace and confidence. Now, I humbled myself and took my grandson’s hand and made it to the other side. He went back to get Grandma too!
That’s life. Sometimes we all need a helping hand. There is no shame in the game when we have to ask for a helping hand, a hand up or a steady hand for balance. You can’t lift it, ask for help. You can’t figure it out? There are wise people around you willing to help you. Spiritually, we all needed a helping hand when it came to being made right with God. That helping hand just happened to be nail scarred. Jesus’ helping hands healed, they blessed children, broke bread, were often raised in prayer. We all need His helping hand.
From time to time, we all need a helping hand. My guess is more often than not you are offering a helping hand. Thank you. By God’s grace, we can get by with a little help from a friend. See you
Sunday, good Lord willing.
Pastor Tom
