Helping
What does helping look like? I was once told that helping someone the way you would like them to help you is not good helping. What you need and see as valuable is not necessarily the best way to help someone else.
This concept upon first assessment was quite surprising and suddenly obvious. It really showed me how self-centered I was. This was, by all means, not on purpose; but I had never stopped to consider the true needs of the other person.
We all have a certain expectation and a specific world view. Each of us are unique and we think and see in our own unique way. This is something amazing by design of Abba. The thing is, it seems that we are more comfortable when people see things the way we do and respond in the same way as well. I am not sure why this is true, but it seems to be.
Interestingly enough, I tend to not fit into the mold of what seems comfortable with the majority of people. This has taken a while to work through. I used to try hard to be like everyone else. Now I accept who I am and realize that I was created this way on purpose.
This concept made me extend this understanding out to others as well. Did you ever expect something of or from someone and think that is a simple task? I have been told that before. Wow even a child could figure that out or do it. I thought to myself, it wasn’t that easy for me.
There are many things that affect our ability to perform. The expectation to perform the exact script is overwhelming. Society places certain expectations upon us and demands us to perform exactly like they want us to. Has anyone ever wondered if we are supposed to perform the same as everyone else. Are we all supposed to be the same cookie cutters?
What about trauma or physical limitations. Have people not considered that we are unique and have experienced unique things? That we are the culmination of our experiences and the lessons we have learned or not learned.
What exactly should we expect of others? What if we really tried hard to become who we are destined to be and not who we are told to be by our peers. Doesn’t the manufacturer know best how the product functions the best. Why then do we subscribe to the ideas of judgement from others over the direction of the Holy Spirit.
I wonder what the peers of John the Baptist thought of him. We all know what Jesus thought. John walked the path of his intended destiny and in his uniqueness, he was used by Abba in great and mighty ways. What if John felt ashamed of his strange and unique ways. What if he felt he had to stay the normal path and not create his own path. How would that have affected his destiny??
I write this as a result of observation. There are many called to do strange, but mighty things. Who are we to get in the way of their destiny and their unique calling. What if Moses decided to get a job as a sheep herder instead of leading Gods people. Well what kind of man doesn’t have a prestigious, top dollar job??? Well, what if for some they need healing and time to learn the way of their destiny. What if the enemy has worked so hard to destroy a person because of their destiny? What if we were to spend more time praying for each other and less time judging. What if we asked of Abba the best way to help and show love?? What would this world look like if we stopped looking at each other’s sin’s and began to focus on mercy, kindness, and love??
1 Corinthians 13: New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Excellence of Love
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
What if we only did and said things based on the lead of the Holy Spirit? How would that change our everyday interactions with others? Do we actually love others as ourselves?? Do we make sacrifices and suffer for those whom we love?? What does this amazing true love look like? We are called to be like Yahshua (Jesus), are we not?? We are called to do the things He did, is this not true? Look at the kind of love Yahshua expressed. He died for us, even though He was alone and completely rejected. That kind of suffering is excruciating, I think more than the physical pain that He had to endure for us. Rejection is crippling to us, yet in that rejection Yahshua embraced love anyways.
We are called to embrace and walk in love!! Can you imagine the difference we could make in this terrible and dark world if we did walk in love and in the light. What if we truly became the light of this dark world. What if we don’t hide and we raise the torch and let it shine across the lands. We are told we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We can walk in love and in great power!! Is it not the time to take back this dark world and let His light so shine, what happens when one light is lit in a dark room?? Where does the darkness go??
Let His light shine through you in love and mercy!! Love your enemies and bless those that persecute you!! This battle is not about the flesh and blood, but about something so much more.
If you could see what we all have to contend with in the spiritual realm it would be eye opening. We have been given the tools and weapons to fight and stand firm. Judging and putting down our loved ones, friends or even strangers helps no one. Let the Spirit lead us into the light of life and let us walk in love and in the kingdom. Let us help in ways that are innovative, unique and beneficial to the one we are helping, even if we don’t understand it.
©2017 Jennifer Wallace