And then God comes into the picture. With Him, life is a little less of a gamble because He comes and shows us the way. He lights up the darkness before us, revealing the paths and steps we should take. With Him, we have assurance that we have a future, a sure path that we can take and not just jump blindly.

But even then, if you notice, God doesn't always light up the full path. He mostly just illuminates the parts directly before us, like a few steps ahead. It's like us holding a torchlight. The light only reaches a few steps or metres ahead. Things beyond that is still dark. We can't see beyond that which is just around us. And that becomes a frustration a lot of the time. We want answers, yet God seems to be deliberately holding information, forcing us to walk by faith, taking things every few steps at a time. But so many times, we are afraid to take those steps. We want to see more ahead before we embark on the journey, forcing us to remain stagnant there in the same spot.

This is where we need to step out, and exercise our faith to take the first steps. You see, although a torchlight only has a limited throw of light, that distance travels with us as we move forward. With every step, another step get illuminated. So if we take five steps forward, a further five steps will be illuminated. So here, we need to take the first step with God too. He'll light our path to what He deems fit, and as we move forward, He'll continue to light up more and more of our path ahead. So will you take that first step of faith?

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Have you LoL-ed today?

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Sometimes it's hard to see You, but I see Your people.
Sometimes it's hard to hear You, but I heard Your preachers
My proof is in the way, the way that they shine
That's how I know that

The sun is coming down
I get the feeling that I'm not home yet.
Yeah, it's Your people
They're Jesus to the world

When it was hard to see You, they gave me another chance like You.
When it was hard to hear You, I could hear them speak Your words.
My proof is in the way, the way that they shine.
That's how I know that

The sun is coming down
I get the feeling that I'm not home yet.
Yeah, it's Your people
They're Jesus to the world

It's always the way I know
It's always the way, the way I know
It's always the way I know
It's always the way I know that

The sun is coming down
I get the feeling that I'm not home yet.
The sun is coming down
Yeah, it's Your people
They're Your people
They're Jesus to the world
They're Jesus to the world

I find it really encouraging that there are such people out there. People who are really being Jesus to their world, to the people around them. These are the ones impacting lives for real, for Him. People who are willing to walk in Jesus' footsteps, reaching out to the hurting. And these people are proof, that Jesus is real, that His love is real.

Now bring it closer to home. Are we living our lives like that? Are we Jesus to our world? Do we really live that way? When people find it hard to see Jesus in the world out there, do they see Him in us? When they find it hard to hear His voice in all the noise around them, do they hear His voice speaking through us? Are we proof that Jesus is real, by being Jesus to the people we know, His representative here? Do we shine with His love and hope? Or are we just as dark as everything else, maybe even darker?

Come on Christians of today. Let's rise up out of our seats, our comfort zones. Let's be real. Let's be the Jesus to our world. We have what it takes. We've got the Holy Spirit in us. All God needs now is our willingness to follow. I know I want to. Will you? I pray you do.

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Hello my friend
I remember when you were
So alive with your wide eyes
Then the light that you had in your heart was stolen
Now you say that it ain't worth stayin'
You wanna run but you're hesitatin'
I'm talkin' to me

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
‘Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

So when you get the chance
Are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it
There's a girl on the streets, she's cryin'
There's a man whose faith is dyin'
Love is calling you

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
‘Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

Why do we go with the flow
Or take an easier road?
Why are we playin' it safe?
Love came to show us the way
Love is a chance we should take
I'm movin' out of the way

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
‘Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
(Stand out)
Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
(Stand out)
‘Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

So when you get the chance
Are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it...

Verse 1:
True isn’t it? We always start out in our walk with God full of passion. We feel so gung-ho, like we can go change the world for Him. But after time, things get in the way, and we lose that fire. So many times we want to leave, just give up. But somewhere deep in your heart you know it’s real, God’s real, and hesitate to leave it all. I know I’ve felt that way.

Chorus:
It's an encouragement and a challenge at the same time. For one, keep the faith, don’t give up on it. It’s for you. Then at the same time, it’s for others. People do observe you, look up to you. And they are looking to you to see what you would do, and if you would reach out to them. A lot of times we forget that. We forget about how people need other people to believe in something. To be honest, many people are searching for God. They may seem to deny it, down play that fact. But deep down inside, we’re all hurting, and we all want to find God. And they will look to His followers since they supposedly know Him. They want to know if you will really be like Jesus and reach out to them, welcome them. They want, maybe even need, someone to show them Jesus, be Jesus to them, besides just showing the way to Jesus. Now that would indeed be a reason to believe. What are we doing about it? We read and hear of so many people loosing interest and rejecting God because of what His “followers” are doing, treating them. Where do you and I stand in this? Will we rise up out of that self-centred mentality and be Jesus to these people? When we do that, we will definitely stand out, because we’re different when we follow His footsteps. And when we bring Jesus to these people, “that’s how the lost get found.”

Verse 2:
Love the question. Will we take it if the chance arises? To be different and help others out of love? Like the lyrics say, people are hurting, for various reasons. Love is calling out to us to do something. We who have known Love need to bring that love to others.

Bridge:
A question we should ask ourselves perhaps? Seems like we always take that road, to not live out loud. Many reasons we can give. I think we can just condense it all into one word, selfishness. Being too preoccupied with “Me” we don’t see them, or what God sees for the matter. We even make God revolve around “Me” sometimes. Our conversations with Him are about “Me”. The second part of the bridge is so true. Love came, so that we may know Love. Jesus came and showed us the way to God, prepared the way so we may know Him. And that should be what we are doing too. Showing others the way to Love by showing love.

So, like how the song ends, when you get the chance, are you gonna take it? We have the opportunity to change our world, however small it may seem to us now, it’s still a step taken. Will you and I live our faith out loud?

(Live it out)
(Live it out. Live it out)
(Oh yeah)

Imagine this
I get a phone call from Regis -
he says "Do you want to be a millionaire?"
They put me on a show and I win with two lifelines to spare

Picture this I act like nothing ever happened
and bury all the money in a coffee can
Well, I've been given more than Regis ever gave away
I was a dead man who was called to come out of my grave
I think it's time for makin' some noise

Wake the neighbours, get the word out
Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout
This is life we’ve been given, made to be lived out
So la, la, la, la, live out loud
Live out loud, yeah

Think about this
Try to keep a bird from singing after
it's soared up in the sky
Give the sun a cloudless day and tell it not to shine

Think about this
If we really have been given
the gift of life that will never end
And if we have been filled with living hope, we're gonna overflow
And if God's love is burning in our hearts, we're gonna glow
There's just no way to keep it in

Wake the neighbours, get the word out
Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout
This is life we’ve been given, made to be lived out
So la, la, la, la, live out loud
Live out loud

Everybody
La, la, la...la, la, la, la...la, la, la, live out loud
(I wanna hear everybody sing)
La, la, la...la, la, la, la ...la, la, la, live out loud (loud, loud)

Every corner of creation is a living declaration
Come join the song we were made to sing

Wake the neighbours, get the word out
Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout
This is life we’ve been given, made to be lived out
So la, la, la, la, live out loud

(Wake the neighbours) Get the word out (get the word out)
Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout
This is life we’ve been given, made to be lived out
So la, la, la, la, live out loud

La, la, la... la, la, la, la... (Live out loud)
La, la, la, live out loud (Yeah yeah)
La, la, la... (Wake the neighbours)
La, la, la, la... (Get the word out)
La, la, la live out loud
(I want to wake the neighbours, I got to get the word out)
La, la, la... (Wake the neighbours)
La, la, la, la... (Get the word out)
(We got to get the get the word out, about His love...)

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When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

Billy Crystal, When Harry Met Sally

Came across this quote in Reader's Digest the other day. And as usual, it's gotten me thinking. We all do want love don't we? And as young people, we especially want to be loved by that special someone. As we grow into adulthood, we begin to be attracted to people of the opposite gender. Our bodies begin to change and hormones begin to rage. Suddenly, girls don't seem so disgusting anymore for guys, and guys aren't gross anymore for girls. Funny isn't it? Guys used to hate girls and girls hated guys. Then they grow up and now they cannot keep their eyes off each other.

Our need for love sometimes leads us into thinking things too much. Some people I've met are just so obsessed with getting a girlfriend or boyfriend, that it just seems like that's the only thing on their minds. I know, it's part of growing up to want to find that special someone. Even I want that too. But why let loose and run wild? Why let feelings and hormones be the thing in control of your life? Why run the risk of messing a decent relationship or friendship up just because you want to have a romantic relationship, and possibly loose even that friendship in the process? Not everyone you're attracted to is supposed to be that special someone. Why not wait for the right one, the one God has intended, and not try out with everyone, only to find that they are not the one? Why pick up so many sour memories in the search of sweet memories?

Not that I'm downplaying love. I mean, if you really do find the one, and your relationship is strong, then by all means, go for it. We need real love stories. But we get so caught up with what we perceive as good love stories, those portrayed in the media, in novels, movies and on television, that we forget what love really is. Is it really love that we're experiencing? Or is it just mere emotions?

Young people can be very rash at making decisions. I am no exception. A lot of times we just jump in, not really thinking about the consequences. And sometimes that just brings us a lot of unnecessary hurt and pain. Yes, we get attracted to people and think they are the one right away. But is he or she really the right one? How can you be so sure? Have you really checked it out with others, with God? Or is it just our longing for love and we convince ourselves that she's the one. Like the quote says, we want the rest of our life to start now, as soon as possible. We want things quick. But that's where danger lies in relationships. Too often we just jump in too soon that we don't have the foundations set properly. Relationships need investments. It needs time to work on. Have we spent enough time and effort in the relationship so that it will last? Or are we being selfish, wanting it quick for ourselves, our satisfaction?

Why settle for something now, something that isn't the best, when we can wait for the best? The English phrase says, "Good things come to those who wait." And this especially holds true when it comes to relationships. God has great plans for your future (see. Jeremiah 29:11), especially in the area of relationships. In fact, God made relationships. He was the one who established marriage and the union of man and woman (see Genesis 2:18-25). Check out Song of Songs too. You'll be surprised what's in there about love between man and woman. Peculiar at times, but you get what they are saying. What's most important, is that God has His best interest for you in your relationships. He wants you to have the very best. Proverbs 18:22 says "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord." I want a good wife. She's a good thing =) There even is a passage in Proverbs about what to look for in a wife. Check out the whole of Proverbs 31. Now that is a girl worth fighting for. Very capable, loving, kind, cares for the family and household, wise, and most importantly, loves God. I would love to have a wife like that and love her with all my heart.

So why rush into things again? Take your time to get to know people. Why jump straight into something that big with eye's almost shut, when you can get there more slowly and surely, in one piece and not pieces? Heed the advice Songs of Songs. Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires (Chapter 2 verse 7). I'm going to wait for the one God intends for me. And when that time comes and God reveals her to me, I pray for the faith, strength, courage and tenacity to pursue her with all I've got, and the love to love and cherish her with all my heart, just like how God loves her. In the meantime, I'm going to get to know more people and build genuine and honest friendships and relationships. What about you? =)

Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut after.

Benjamin Franklin

On the way into this world, our soul was born in two
Searching for you, I been searching for you
Where ya been, where ya running to
Where ya got to go, what ya got to do
Don't care where we're going, just wanna be with you
Put your head on my shoulder, tell me what you've been through
When I lose my focus, you remind me of the Truth
Lift us up to the heavens, for a birds eye view

One woman for me
Other half of my soul, you're my queen
One woman for me
Other half of my soul, roots of my tree

We could forget about Galus for a while, our troubles for a while
Sometimes I look at you and just smile, sit in the park and just laugh all day
Sometimes I just lose it with the things that you say, waiting by the subway
But we missed the train, well take the next one if you can pull me away
Keep me cool down to earth, and no anxiety
Stay modest with the humble heart always

One woman for me
Other half of my soul, you're my queen
One woman for me
Other half of my soul, roots of my tree

We don't need no umbrella when we're walking in the rain
Sunlight or clouds, it's all the same
Don't need no umbrella, when we're walking in the rain

So smart and sharp, oh so lovely
And a beauty shine bright, yes you're there for me
Keep the ways of our fathers, how it use to be
Moving forward, don't mean erase our history
Look to your ways, and see a girl who wants to do the right thing
Dedicated to a life, bigger than you or me
Build a temple in our hearts, for His Majesty
Stay simple, serve God, and keep our deeds clean

One woman for me
Other half of my soul, you're my queen
One woman for me
Other half of my soul, roots of my tree

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But you know what? I don't want to give up. I'm going to keep trying. Even though it has hurt me, I don't want to let it stop me. I don't want to let it stop God from working in me. Perhaps I've neglected myself, placed my expectations too high. But hey, God has His way of giving wake up calls. I know I'll be okay, because God holds and supports me.

I will throw myself down at You feet
I will live out my life on my knees
You alone I run to
No one helps me like You

I'll be o.k. when I'm safe in You arms
And the thoughts of this world fade away
I'll be o.k. with You

I'll be o.k. when it's You by my side
And the tears of this life wipe away
I'll be o.k. with You
I'll be o.k.

I will lay down my pride for Your grace
I will give anything for one look, look of Your face
You alone I run to
No one helps me  like You

I'll be o.k. when I'm safe in You arms
And the thoughts of this world fade away
I'll be o.k. with You
I'll be o.k.

I'll be o.k. when it's You by my side
And the tears of this life wipe away
I'll be o.k. with You, yeah
I'll be o.k.
Oh God, I'll be o.k.

I'll be, I'll be
I'll be o.k. with You
I'll be, I'll be
I'll be o.k.

I'll be, I'll be
I'll be o.k. with You
I'll be, I'll be
I'll be o.k.

I'll be o.k. when I'm safe in You arms
And the thoughts of this world fade away
I'll be o.k. with You
I'll be, I'll be o.k.

I'll be o.k. when it's You by my side
And the tears of this life wipe away
I'll be o.k. with You
I'll be o.k.
Oh God, I'll be o.k. with You, oh God

Oh Lord, I'll be o.k.
No more fear, no more pain
Cause I'll be o.k. Yeah, yeah.

O.K. I'll be o.k.
I'll be, I'll be

I'm going to trust in You, God. Through this time, through this pain. God, work in me. Do what You have to do. I don't want to give up on You or what You want me to do. Teach me Your ways. I know, I'll be okay in your arms. Thank You God, for all that You've done. Thank You God for people who encourage and support me through tough times. Thank You for everything. Thank You for everything.... Amen.

P.S. This is probably the first time you would have seen me so raw and vulnerable here on the blog. Trust me, it's not something I do very often, even in person. But I feel I need to be honest about what I'm going through this time, or else no one will ever know, that I'm human too.

P.P.S. To those that hurt me that time, we will have a talk sometime. I really need to tell you how I felt, just to be open with you all. But this I want you to know now, that I forgive you. I don't want to lose our relationships and trust over this. God bless you, honestly.

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Some people seriously ask, "Where is God?" Maybe a better question would be "Where isn't God?" His fingerprints are all over our world. Or maybe it's His world, and they're our fingerprints.

Rob Bell, Nooma 03 Trees.

Was just watching this video today. Just felt that I should get myself fed. And so I opened the video. Was at the third one, Trees. And man, it is a good video. Talks about how Christianity should be about living life now, and not just a ticket to a better place after the now has passed. Good stuff, you should go watch it.

The quote above is a line from the video. Rob Bell opens the video with a question, of whether our world is supposed to be the way it is now, or is there something wrong. Then he goes on to say that most of it, is actually our choice. And if you think about it, it’s true. God have given us the choice to live how we want to live. Lots of problems we see now is because we have chosen to live the way we want, not the way He made us to be. Earth’s problems like global warming, deforestation, extinction? Man’s unscrupulous works to make our lives comfortable at the expense of others, the earth, animals and plants. Then there’s social issues in humanity. Poverty, hunger, slavery? Also Man’s unscrupulous acts to benefit themselves at the cost of other people’s lives. To live comfortably, exploiting others so selfishly. Injustice, corruption? Again, Man’s unscrupulous ways to pervert justice to fill their own pockets. Again and again, you see the selfishness, the self-centeredness in all this. Living life for ourselves.

I think Rob Bell put it rather poetically and succinctly when he said, “maybe it’s His world, and they’re our fingerprints.” We’ve put our fingerprints all over His creation, meddling with it in so many ways we shouldn’t. Who gave us the right to abuse another person, a fellow human, for our own gain? Is it right? Then what about the environment and the whole of earth? In Genesis 1:26, God gave us dominion over the earth to take care of it, not to exploit it beyond boundaries. Genesis 2:15, The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. We should be taking care of it responsibly, not unscrupulously.

So let’s ask ourselves, what have we been doing with what He’s made for us? Are we doing the right thing with it? Or have we been too preoccupied with ourselves in all this that we neglect our duty to Him and His creation. Like Rob Bell said, our faith in God and relationship with God, shouldn’t wait for the next life, the New Heaven and Earth after the end of days. But it is for now, in the reality of God now.

Followers of Jesus are people who are committed to partnering with God to make this world, the world that we all live in, the kind of place that God originally intended it to be. In Jesus precise words, we’re learning to love each other as we love ourselves. A follower of Jesus is somebody who’s living, and they're never going to stop living.

And to Rob Bell’s hope for the viewers at the end of his video, to it I say, “Amen....”

P.S. To those who don't have the video, here it is on YouTube, with Portuguese subtitles. Part 1. Part 2.

P.P.S. For Victorians of Victoria Institution KL, yes I know, I've used the word unscrupulous many times. It's the perfect word la. Reminds you of someone right? Hahaha.

P.P.P.S. And to KBU students, I think I'm getting someone's habit of saying, "Ask yourselves a question." , just it's ourselves. Hahaha.

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The roads seem the same, but yet also different
One road looks inviting, the other timid
One is wide, the other narrow
One has many travellers, the other not a fellow

But still I know not what to do
Gosh this is really is something new

I step aside, to ponder the options
When just then, more people make their appearance
They seem jolly, they seem fine
Having fun as they take their strides

They walk right up, to the crossroad
Look left, look right, don’t know which is right
Now with each other they confer
Until finally, they concur

With a shrug of their shoulders
And a whip of flair
They all started down
The narrow road remains bare

I stretch my neck to see how they went
It seems okay from where I stand
Further down the road doesn't look good
Is that a wisp of smoke over there?

Then another chap comes walking up
This one’s alone, with a rather grave stare
His mind is working, overtime
Seems like a big decision is on his mind

He stands at the crossroad, deep in thought
What about, I know not
To one then to the other his eyes wonder
Back and forth, like ping-pong and others

Then all of a sudden, he closes his eyes
Lifts his hands up head inclined
I think he’s praying, if my guess is true
Better not disturb him, let him pay his due

He opens his eyes now
and takes a few steps forward
Towards the narrow road
I think he’s goin’

But then he stops right at the junction
Motions towards the curb with deliberation
He bends over, reaching down
And gets back up, with a piece of lumber

I don’t know what that was, or what exactly that meant
But yet I think, I may understand
That chap then set out on his journey
A genuine smile, though the lumber heavy

I walk back now, to the crossroad I came
The choice I ponder, now, again
I close my eyes, look deep within
Something's calling me, to reach out to Him

I say a prayer, under my breath
I think it’s time, I made progress
I step closer, the choice now made
I think I know, which way I’ll take

I don’t know where this road will lead
Or how long will the journey be
But this I know, I am assured
The He will walk me, to the end of the road

I bend over, just like the chap
And pick my lumber, and walked ahead....

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A vessel that's full can only receive so much. But a vessel constantly emptied for others can be filled many times over....

Ele Musael

We all want to be blessed. It’s a natural thing to want good things to happen to us. And it’s perfectly fine to ask for good things. In fact, God promises us that if we follow His ways, He will bless us.  Psalms 20:4 He will give you your heart’s desire and carry out all your plans.” And so there’s nothing wrong with blessings.

However, sometimes, we just want to take and keep taking. A lot of us have come into this culture where we never give back and bless other people. We just want to stay at the receiving end of blessing and never be on the giving side. We have become selfish. We take and take, and ask for more. And so we become fat, spiritually fat from just taking in all the blessings. Sometimes even physically fat, financially fat, and all the other ways we can be fat. Instead of outreach we  in-reach.

Sometimes, God blesses us so we can bless others. There is not greater joy, than to bring joy to others. Sometimes, after just being a receiver of blessing, we wonder where all our joy went. What we don’t realise is, that perhaps we have abundance, to give to those who do not have that. Ever wondered why the church now isn’t as vibrant or as powerful as it was in the times of Acts? Maybe it’s because we have not been doing what they have. Some things we do, like meeting up, studying the Word, encouraging one another, praying for one another. But one crucial thing that, I feel, we are not doing is to provide to the needs of those around us. The people of Acts always provided for the needy of their time. Acts 4: 34, 35 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. The task of providing to those in need was given so much weight, that the twelve disciples appointed seven people, who were full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, to carry out that task, so that the twelve can concentrate on the spiritual needs of the people.

What about us now? Yes, we do care for the needs of others in some ways. We do pray for the needy. We do help out here and there. But I feel we can do more. We can play a more active role than we have. All this time we have been mainly passive. And because of that, we are not making that active impact.

We also talk a lot about desiring what God desire. To have on our heart, what His heart is for. Now, didn’t Jesus say that we should love our neighbour as ourselves? What would that also imply? Love should result in action, should it not? And one way love shows itself is through our giving. We have so much in so many ways. We have time, talents, and for some, financial blessings. Where are those going to? Are we making good use of them? What have our mindsets become? We have become lazy, when it comes to reaching out to others, being active in our giving. And it is bad for us. Proverbs 21:25, 26 The desire of a lazy person will kill him because his hands refuse to work. All day long he feels greedy, but a righteous person gives and does not hold back. Now, take a moment. Where do you stand? Where do we stand?

You know, there are many times we fear letting go of things we have so much. We worry and fear that when we give, we won’t have enough. And because of that, we hold on so tightly to what is in our hand. But like I have said, if we just keep what we have to ourselves, we will eventually become a full vessel. And when something is full, it can no longer take anymore. Just like a cup, our hands have a limit to what we can hold. By just holding on because we are afraid of losing what’s in there, we eventually won’t have space to take in anymore. But if from our abundance, we give to others, emptying our vessels for others, we create room for more, to be filled again. And again. And again, with greater measure and greater things.

I’ll end with this verse from Proverbs 11.

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good;the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,and one who waters will himself be watered.

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I was going through the section written by John C. Maxwell, when I chanced upon this interesting story. And I’d like to share that.

Years ago I came across a piece about someone who fell into a pit and couldn’t get out-and how others treated that person:

A subjective person came along and said, “I feel for you down there.”
An objective person came along and said, “Well, it’s logical that someone would fall down there.”
A Pharisee said, “Only bad people fall into pits.”
A mathematician calculated how the individual fell into the pit.
A news reporter wanted an exclusive story on the person in the pit.
A fundamentalist said, “You deserve your pit.”
A Calvinist said, “If you’d been saved, you’d never fallen in that pit.”
An Armenian said, “You were saved and still fell in that pit.”
A charismatic said, “Just confess that you’re not in that pit.”
A realist came along and said, “Now that’s a pit.”
A geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit.
An IRS worker asked if he was paying taxes on this pit.
The county inspector asked if he had a permit to dig the pit.
A self-pitying person said, “You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit.”
An optimist said, “Things could be worse."
A pessimist said, "Things will get worse."
Jesus, seeing the man, reached down and took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.

Take a moment and think about it. Compare what everyone and Jesus did. I’m sure all the other people had good intentions and wanted to help the poor man, though some we don’t see how it’s helping (like the Pharisee). But was all that they did what the poor chap needed? Jesus on the other hand saw the need, and delivered what that man needed most.

In our own lives, what are we doing when we see someone in need? We feel for the person at times, but then what do we do? I’ve found that we’re very free with advice sometimes, and we can go on talking and talking, giving loads of advice (which are good advice sometimes, while sometimes it could also be useless). But, ask yourself, does the person really need so much advice? Is it what the person really need? Perhaps it is actually something else, something more practical. Something that involves sacrifice and work. One reason I think we gravitate to just giving advice is because it’s free. There’s not much sacrifice and work with giving advice. But to care for the injured like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable costs us. It cost the Samaritan his time tending to the wounds, the comfort of riding his animal, and money to pay the inn keeper, as well as the resources like oil and wine to clean the wounds. And in our own acts of trying to help others, it will probably also cost us something. Time, talents, effort, money, possessions, any of these. Time in just being there for people, listening to them pour their heart out while being silent listening, just assurances that we're listening and not giving advice not needed. Making people feel appreciated with a word of encouragement or a small gesture of thanks. Or it could be projects that will involve more than just one of the above, with time, effort and money invested.

Let’s ask ourselves a question. Are we really helping others with what they really need? Or are we just beating around the bush doing what we think is helping them, when what they really need is someone to reach out their hand and help them out of the pit?

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