Lend a Helping Hand

Hi everyone! On this wonderful Wednesday, I have two true stories to share with you.

Story #1

Once upon a time, my older sister and I were walking in the mall (going to the mall is a rare occasion.) My mom had forgotten something in the car, so we went back to get it. On our way, we heard this loud thud. We look around and see this older lady, maybe in her sixties, who was sprawled on the ground. She was heavy set, and couldn’t get up. My sister and I rushed over and the first thing that came to our minds was that she needed to stay still. She should not move, because she could have broken something. We told her not to move, but she was not having it. She was struggling to get up, saying that she needed to go to the restroom. 

By this time, maybe four or five people had gathered and was watching this take place. One lady said that she had called someone to help. My sister and I was trying to get her up, but she was too heavy and ended up pulling my sister down beside her, pinning her between the wall and this lady. The same girl who had called someone earlier, brought us a chair. The older lady kept saying that she needed to go to the bathroom, quick. She also was saying how we need to “find some men” to help her up. My sister looked around and saw one of the guys who were watching and asked him if he could help us. He held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders like there was nothing he could do. Seriously?! 

My sister looked at me and said, “Me and you are going to get her up and in this chair…” 

It was a struggle, but me, my sister, and the lady who brought the chair was able to get her up in the chair. We helped the older lady put her shoe, which had fallen off, back on and picked up her purse. She immediately stood up. My sister on one side and me on the other, we started walking her to the bathroom. We got to the bathroom and stood outside the stall. We told her that we would wait for her and asked if she needed anything.

Two guys from security came with a first aid kit, but they wouldn’t come in the ladies restroom. They stood outside and wouldn't let anyone in. The lady who helped us get her up gave them a water bottle to give to us. We heard someone outside, waiting for the bathroom, ask if someone was in trouble. They told her, “No, someone's having a medical emergency.” The lady then said, “Well, I’m a medical professional.” And she walked right in.

Thank goodness someone knew what they were doing! My sister told her that the older lady had fallen. She went right to the sink and washed her hands, all the while asking the lady the right questions. One of which was, are you diabetic? Come to find out, she was.

We knew that there was nothing else we could do to help, and it sounded like the lady had it under control, so we handed her the water bottle and left. A few minutes later, we saw maybe seven or eight medical staff heading to the bathroom. 

It was not by chance that the lady who knew what she was doing, came to the bathroom at the right time and place. 

                                                                     ⭑⭑⭑

Story #2 

I was not actually there for this, but my older sister was, and she told me all about it. She was driving her truck (which is the awesome Ford in the picture, btw!) to Lowes with Papa, my grandpa. They were picking up a pallet full of cinder blocks to make a raised-bed garden. The fork lift loaded it up but they couldn't shut the tail gate. The man who loaded it said it should be fine because the cinder blocks are so heavy. 

Well, turns out, it wasn't fine… 

My sister stopped at a small intersection, and when she went to go, THE WHOLE PALLET OF CINDER BLOCKS SLID OUT THE BACK! Like actually falling out of the bed of the truck! Braking the tail gate and scratching it on its way out and everything.

They got out, and as fast as they could, started putting the blocks back in the truck. One by one. Those cinder blocks are heavy too! 

The two men in a jeep, who had been following them, just drove on by. It was 5 o’clock, so everyone was coming home from work. About sixty cars drove by, and only one lady stopped to ask if anyone was hurt before she kept on driving. Seriously?!

One older man came out of his house that was by the intersection and helped them load them back up. And when they had almost finished, another even older man stopped and helped them. He said, “I can’t help that much, but I can get the smaller pieces that have broken.” 

When they finally had them loaded back up, they drove home.

                                                                       ⭑⭑⭑

Both of these stories had a “Seriously?!” moment. I was just blown away at the fact that most of the people in these two stories didn’t lend a helping hand. They would walk around us, stand and watch, or drive on by. 

Is life too busy to lend a helping hand? Are we a society that doesn't care? Are we so wrapped up in ourselves, that we don’t stop and help out when others are in a bind? Where is the younger generation that helps those in need? 

I’m reminded of the parable of the good samaritan in Luke 10:30-37. We all know this story well. This man was robbed and wounded, he was left to die. Both a priest and a Levite passed by on the other side of the road. But the samaritan, he had compassion, and bandaged his wounds. He brought him to a inn, and payed for someone to care for him. 

The samaritan man lended a helping hand to a complete stranger. He showed mercy on him. He took care of his neighbor as himself. 

Even the smallest attempt to lend a helping hand is noticed. Your efforts are seen. By people like me, who might even write a blog post about you. :) 

Wouldn't you want to be in the category as the lady who gave us a water bottle for the older lady? Or the two elderly men who helped load the truck even when everyone else drove by? 

We are called to be different. Don't blend in with the main flow. Y'all, make a stand for what you know is right! 

I want to challenge you and me, today, to lend a helping hand. Not because you need the community service credits, not because you have to; but because you are able and because you care. 

Luke 10:36,37

“So which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Matthew 22:37-39

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

Have you ever had any similar experiences? What are some ways to lend a helping hand? How can we be more like the samaritan man? How is your week going? 

Lets talk in the comments!

Warning Signs

Just as we put our jet skis into the clear water, it started to rain. 

Not just any rain but rather, big fat droplets falling in a rapid down pour. I was freezing, circling my jet ski, waiting for my sister who was having troubles starting the one that she was on. My little sister held on tightly to my life jacket, all the while, we all were wondering who in the world thought that this was a fun idea. Finally my older sister was able to start her jet ski, and we took off, with hopes that the rain and storm would blow over soon. 

We were trying out a new lake that had really pretty scenery, that is, if we were able to see it through the pelting rain. I squinted through the hail-like water droplets, goosebumps on my arms and legs. We were trying to find the beach where we could wait out the storm, but we didn’t know where exactly where it was located. We had a ways to go. 

We stopped out in the middle of the lake. We were all not having fun. That’s when my sister noticed my hair, and I saw her hair. Even though our hair was in braids, both of our wispy’s and loose strands were standing strait up! Like if you were to have rubbed a ballon on our heads, and the static makes the hair stand strait up. We all knew what that meant. We were out in the middle of water, in a storm. We didn’t see any visible lightning, but knew we were in serious danger of getting struck by it. 

So, what do we do now?!? 

First of all, we didn’t have many options. We had to get to the beach and get off the water! We could barely see what we thought was the beach, so we headed for it as fast as we could. The rain stung, but the urgency to get off the water was the only thing that mattered. I prayed, and I prayed hard. 

We made it to the beach, and pulled our jet skis up far enough onto the sand so that they wouldn’t float away. We safely made it to the RV where we told our scary adventure to our parents. It was one of those moments when we knew our angels were with us and watching out for us!

You know, I can’t help but think what would have happened if we hadn’t payed close attention to the warning signs we were given. If we would have stayed out on the water and waited for the storm to pass.

There are warning labels and caution signs everywhere. Whether it be driving on the road, or on a child’s play toy. And we must take these signs seriously for our own good. 

Do you think God has given us warning signs? How about when He told or more like warned, Adam and Eve NOT to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:16,17 

“And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Every warning sign comes with a consequence. If we wouldn’t have listened to our warning sign of our hair standing strait up, our consequence could have been getting struck by lightning. For a driver who didn’t heed the speed limit sign around a tight curve, that consequences might result in rolling the car. For a parent who did not heed the sticker on a small toy, the consequence might be for their child to choke on it. For Adam and Eve, since they did not heed the warning of God, their consequence resulted in death. 

Don’t be fooled by the looks of things. We didn't see the lighting, but that doesn't mean it wasn’t there. A driver might think that the turn wasn’t very sharp, but he wouldn’t have known until he was right upon it. A parent might read the warning label as a silly suggestion, but that doesn’t mean their child will not want to stick it in their mouth. Adam and Eve saw that the fruit looked good, and were tricked by Satan to not listen to God’s warning. 

There are lots of warnings in the bible that we should NOT ignore. One big one for me is, to get ready for Jesus to come again. He is coming quickly! And we need to be ready when he comes. We don’t want to fall asleep (Matthew 25:1-13). 

We need to share this good news, because we have been chosen to be his hands and feet. Even if we are a very small part, even if we are his fingers and toes, if we are doing all that we know how, if we are striving to be His light, then we have done our part. 

And aren’t fingers and toes very important?! We might feel like we are so small and feel as if we don’t make an impact, but as long as we are following God’s direction, we ARE making a impact. Even the smallest of sparks, can still light a forest fire! 

So, summing up. Listen to the warnings around you. And most of all, take heed to God’s instructions and warnings in the Bible. 

Jesus is coming again! Lets do our part and shine our light! 

We were able to go back out on the water when the storm blew over. It turned out to be a very fun day! Here are some pictures I took...!

Have you ever been in a scary situation that you knew your angels helped you out of? Do you think warning labels are important? Have you ever gone jet skiing? What is one thing that you are thankful for today, right this second? 

Lets talk about it in the comments below! ;D

A Special Mission

Some see a weed. Some see a wish. Some see a mission. 

Ok, maybe I am the only one who can see a mission in a dandelion! This new perspective came one day as I was trying to capture, with my phone camera, dandelion seeds as they were in mid flight. You know, the perfect picture of the fuzzy parachute like seeds gently floating by? I thought It would by pretty easy, right? After all, others have obviously mastered this art.

Lets just say, I tried for thirty to forty minutes and never quite got a “Pinterest worthy” picture. I tried all sorts of methods. I tried blowing the dandelion, my little sister tried blowing it, we tried waving it, even lying on the ground and looking up as my sister blew the seeds down didn't work. We tried taking lots of pictures in a row and even then nothing seemed focus on the seeds, or we would just miss them all together! I did get lots of good pictures, but none of them were what I thought I could capture. Seriously, has anyone ever tried to take a picture of a dandelion blowing away? If you have any tips, I’d love to know how it is done! 

My creative brain kicked in with one of the pictures (top picture.) I was able to angle my camera to make the seeds look like a small heart which was really cool! In this same picture, one seed’s fuzz was stuck to the dandelion and hung there. It was holding on and wasn't letting go to be carried away into the unknown. As soon as it let go, it could be planted to grow more dandelions. 

Wait a minute! Now my writers brain was spinning way out of control. The dandelion seed was holding on. It wasn’t letting the wind carry it away. It was waiting and doubting, scared of the unknown. It was given a job to spread the seed, planting it. It’s only mission was to plant the seed. It didn’t need to water it or give it light, that was natures job to grow it. All it had to do was let go and be carried. 

Do we ever try and find excuses for not letting go? Are we letting our fears and doubts hold us into place, keeping us from being carried? Are we scared of the unknown? Are we uncertain of where we are going? Of what our mission is? 

Each and every one of us is given a special mission. One that God has perfectly planned for us. Some might know what their mission is, but if you are anything like me, then you don’t know quite what God has in store for you yet. I do know that God wants all of us to spread the Word, to be a witness to others, and to be a example by living like Him. 

Whether it be speaking in front or hundreds of people, or talking to a friend. Whether it be participating at church, or a simple act of kindness to your neighbor. Whether it be traveling to other countries as a missionary, or finding your own mission field close to home. Each of us has our own special mission. Our own calling that God has put on our hearts.

We are all given talents that God wants us to use for His glory.

So, like the dandelion seed, sometimes we hold on too long. Sometimes we won't let God carry us away into the unknown. We are unsure, waiting and doubting. We were given a job to spread the love of Jesus, to share the truth. All we have to do is plant the seed. God does the rest, making that seed grow. All we have to do is let go and be carried. What is holding us back? 

I want to share with you all, some of the pictures I took of dandelions…

Have you ever tried to photograph dandelion seeds blowing away? What is your favorite picture that I took? Do you know what your special mission is? Or is God wanting you to trust Him and let Him carry you? What are some ways that we can step out of our comfort zones and let go of our fears, so we can witness for Him?