Humbled...There's Just No Other Way To Say It

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?

~Psalm 8:3-4

The last several days have shown how destructive water can be; and how it can destabilize roads, homes, lives, communities, and even states and regions.  But I have seen a miracle during this time that I never thought I could see...in this time of distress, people are, for the most part, not concerned about themselves as much as they are concerned about others.  I have seen First Responders work themselves to the point of exhaustion and still push themselves to do more.  I have seen Utility Crews work feverishly to restore power and water, and they have gone far beyond expectations.  I have witnessed an overwhelming show of support from places not effected as much by the rain and flooding as South Carolina has been.

I spent a lot of time just listening and talking with people over the last few days.  And I have been humbled!  People who were displaced by the floods were not only grateful for the communities reaching out to help them, but many were more concerned for people other than themselves.  But the one event that broke my pride came when I gave a young boy a bottle of water and he handed me his teddy bear because he said I looked like I needed a hug. 

Tonight, as I look into the sky and give God thanks and praise for His love for us, it will be with a very humbled heart.  Why should God care about us when we have been so hateful and hurtful toward each other for so long?  In my opinion, He probably shouldn't.  If I were in His place, I would probably tell humanity: "Ya'll are on your own! I tried but ya'll just can't seem to get the fact that I love you so much that MY ONLY Son paid for your mistakes.  I'm out!"  But that's why God is God and I am not.

God not only put all the stars in their place and called them by their name, he put each one of us in place and called us by name.  He has recorded and collected all our hurts and tears.  He has counted every hair.  And He loves us and provides for us in the most remarkable ways through the most remarkable people.

I am humbled...there's just no other way to say it.  

Thank You to all who came to the aid of others in their time of need.  THANK YOU!!! And I thank God for each of you!

On The Other Side

 Then the devil left Jesus. And heavenly messengers came and ministered to Him.

~Matthew 4:11

It's not easy having to learn new things, is it? But we have to learn new things throughout our lives. 

We learn new life skills from experiences like: 

     *  sidewalks have invisible speed bumps, teaching us to be careful.

     *  when you are pressed for time, the slowest person ever will get in your way, thus teaching us to either be patient if we are paying attention.

     *  when someone is hurting, we learn what to say and when to shut up.

We learn more difficult skills through experience if we are willing.  

     *  When dealing with difficult people, we learn to stand up for ourselves even when our insides have turned to jelly.  

     *  When we deal with persistent salespeople we learn to say "No Thank You" and walk away.

     *  When we are hurting and feeling weak, we must learn to let others help us and minister to us.

I like helping people. I like talking with people who need counsel.  I like being able to minister to others. But I am not so good being on the other side of that.  Recently, my Bride and I have been enduring a situation that was draining us and stressing us, yet together we are learning that we are not alone, we are loved, and we will become stronger.  And this from learning to let others minister to us.

Did you know that even Jesus had allow Himself to be helped? After dealing with 40 days of no food, Jesus was exhausted and weak from hunger.  THAT is the very moment when the enemy decided to take action.  And he still does that today; when we are mentally, emotionally, financially exhausted and at the end of our endurance, THAT is when the enemy will attack us through other people.

Jesus relied on God for strength and endurance.  WHEN Jesus had endured and came out of that battle in the right, God sent His own angels to care for Jesus's needs.  

Jesus had to stand strong through the battle, and God gave Him the strength, and then gave Him the comfort when the battle was over.  Jesus, who helped so many people had to learn to let others help even Him.

My bride and I are being taught two lessons from this time in our lives:

     1.  God is in control.

     2.  We must be strong in this battle and do what is right, even if we don't like it.

    3.  When the battle is over, God will minister and restore.