Helpers

The ten years of retirement have been filled with helpers.  I remember one of our Bishops who opened up his first Annual Conference session by saying he knew nothing about what he was about to do and he would need a lot of help from the members of the Conference.  Most likely he was stretching the truth just a bit, but it did open the door to people wanting to be helpers instead of those who were hindrances. 

 

When I got to the farm, I did not have to tell anyone I needed help.  It was as clear as the full moon on a clear night.  One of those helpers went to the local stock market and bought our first cows.  After purchasing them, he came by to tell me he had them if I wanted them and if not, he would keep them.  He was sure they were gentle and just what I needed.  I took him at his word.  He was right.  And, when those cows got out one day because I forgot to shut the gate, he came and showed me how you get wandering cows back in the pasture.  When he died some years ago, I knew I would miss him.  He became a good friend and a helper I needed. 

Helping one another out is not complicated.  Jesus always seemed to find a way to help people with the circumstances of their lives.  He helped widows, lepers, blind folk, a self-righteous seeker, and a host of others who found themselves with tangled up lives and in need of help.  When we look around we can see folks who could use a hand, or maybe a word of hope and encouragement.  And the truth is that God may have put us in their lives so that we might offer help to them.  Some may do things which can change the world, but most of us are more likely to be in a position to help one person at a time along the way toward home.