Renewal Through The Help Of Others

We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know.

W. H. Auden

Thursday didn’t start out quite the way I had planned. I’ll spare you all the details. The abbreviated version of the story has me checking myself into the emergency room at a local hospital around 8:30 in the morning. I ended up being discharged from the hospital around 2:00 in the afternoon after receiving help from a wonderful hospital staff. I’m still recovering to a degree; my visit to the hospital was rather minor compared to some of the other people I was hearing about who came into the emergency room that morning. I understand someone was having a stroke, and someone else was having a cardiac event. Again, my reason for going to the hospital was rather minor compared to the reason others visits. Nonetheless, I had no other choice but to visit the hospital based on what I was experiencing at the time.

As news of my emergency room visit spread to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, I quickly learned of people praying for me, of people helping Leanne as she taught her classroom from home and tried to figure out how to get to the hospital, and of people taking on my workload at the office while I laid in a hospital bed. I even had a group of friends graciously offer to donate steps to me to ensure my 10,000 steps a day walking streak continued (somehow I’ve been able to keep the streak alive despite a visit to the hospital).

I could tell you many other ways we received help on Thursday – a neighbor’s offer to shovel my snow for the rest of the winter, multiple neighbors’ efforts to find my keys that had somehow fallen out of my coat pocket as I shoveled earlier that morning, and multiple neighbors’ generous gift of a dinner certificate for a local pizza restaurant. I even heard that one of the neighbor boys had his entire fourth grade class praying for me on Thursday morning.

Despite a hospital visit and a medical issue which will require some follow-up and recovery, I find a sense of renewal. My energy is still low, and yet, I feel uplifted knowing there are so many people who care for me and my family. I also find renewal knowing I have a God who brings me help.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121 (NIV)

I don’t know what is going on in your world today, but I’d encourage you to look up and to look around you. Find God’s help along your path. Look for those who are doing good things for you and for others in your community. Be renewed as you witness the helping hand, the caring touch, and the thoughtful word or prayer that others have to give.