“Pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up”
Ecclesiastes 4:10b
The world is in a rough state. Daily we hear about people like us who have fallen and can’t seem to get up. Life is going well and then something happens that knocks them down and they start to lose hope. A marriage seems OK and then it is over and one spouse is left to play father and mother, work, pay the bills and basically survive alone. High school girls get caught up in the message of seeking pleasure regardless of consequences resulting in an anxious search for someone to buy them a pregnancy testing kit. If they become pregnant, the world offers them abortion when there is no one around to suggest options that protect their life and the life of their baby. Teens are roaming the streets, ready to fall, because there is no caring parent at home to give them a sense of worth.
It has been suggested that many of the social problems facing young people today, if left unaddressed, will lead to further issues in adulthood. Have you ever wondered if some of life’s problems could be prevented if someone just took the time to be honest and wise with their friend or child and push them to get on the right path? Would pointing a friend to a marriage counsellor serve a better purpose as opposed to a pity party that bashes the other partner?
Jesus, whenever He encountered a sinner that needed help, reached out and helped but also gave them the advice to sin no more.
To help someone move forward we need to be truthful so we can properly focus on the solution.
It is a difficult choice to help someone but, that is part of the calling to Christ-followers. People don’t help because they are uncertain as to what is right or wrong. TV bombards us daily with choices that seem right but “anything goes” is not a moral direction. The bible is the moral compass and the Holy Spirit is the guide. If you want to help someone else get back on track, you should be connected to God so that at least your path is clear. We are not called to judge a friend because their marriage failed or condemn the youth caught up in drugs and violence. We are to help them get up so they can get their hope back.
Lao Tzu, a Chinese thinker is quoted as saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This proverb suggests that band-aide solutions are temporary and if you want to help someone get back on their feet, you need to be willing to invest more time and effort. The world, our friends, our family, our children need help. Can you help? Can you be a hand that helps others get up?