He had not gotten nearly as much done as I thought he should. I had just gotten back from waiting for lab work. So much waiting. I had sat in that waiting room forever, holding my breath for them to call my name. There were always tests that needed to be run to ensure a traveling nurse was healthy for an upcoming job, but this last minute, surprise one was simply a hindrance on my timetable. We needed to be packed up, ready to go, check-lists checked, and to-do’s done. So you can imagine my frustration when I returned from the thirty minute trek into town and saw so many things still left undone.
I sat in the camp host’s office, settling our bill, and efficiently checking out so we could simply hook up and pull away the following morning. In my mind I tabulated the tasks I must complete.
“Is your husband over there?”
The man who ran our RV Park interrupted my thoughts with his urgent questioning.
“He is,” I commented with a smile.
I signed my receipt and carried on a conversation with the man’s wife.
“Dick sure is gonna miss Ben,” she said forlorn. “Ben’s his go-to guy!”
I smiled and replied, “Ben enjoys picking his brain too.”
At that moment the male duo appeared in the doorway.
“We’ll be back shortly,” Dick exclaimed!
I knew “shortly” was a relative term for this particular handyman. My husband eyed me eagerly, his countenance saying, “I’m sorry, babe. I gotta.”
I knew this.
I smiled. A genuine smile.
“Y’all go on!” I said.
My eyes spoke to my husband, “I know.”
Later that evening, after our work was done, we discussed it.
“I had to help him,” my husband commented.
I answered easily, “oh, I know. I knew you would, and I didn’t think anything about it. It went without saying that you’d go. That’s what you do.”
He was a helper.
My husband could start up a Bible study in our RV Park, I suppose, and perhaps some folks might even attend, but that wasn’t really how he did things. He was a helper. He was a talker. But more than that he was a doer. When we had first met the couple who managed our park my husband had told the man, “if you ever need anything, just let me know!”
He had followed his offer with a firm handshake and a solid gaze, but more than that, he had followed it with commitment. Every time Dick needed a helper, well, Ben helped. He was that way to everyone. He struck up conversations with all our neighbors, drew the old hermit out of his shell. He made the sourpuss smile, carried the groceries for the older lady, or helped the young, single woman turn a wrench.
The folks around here knew we were Christians; that certainly wasn’t a secret. If they didn’t catch it in the shirts we wore, the Bible my husband toted everywhere, or the praise and worship music emanating from our RV, then they picked it up from our young children who were always eager to talk about God’s love. The point is, they know we proclaim ourselves to be “Christians,” but they also see what our actions proclaim. They say, “hey, those folks are always smiling, always happy, and always eager to help a fella out when he needs it.”
We were helpers.
In a fast-paced world it’s easy to just keep on driving. You go past the broke-down car on the side of the road, you look away from the beggar, you convince yourself the addict will just use the money for drugs rather than a pillow to lay their head. The world says, “I ain’t got time for that!” But then again, I think Jesus told us not to conform to this old world.
It’s easy to be busy, run about, and get what’s ours. We gotta put on our own oxygen mask first, I guess you could say. But sadly, after it’s on, we pretty much forget the other guy. We think we can teach a Sunday School class or go on that week-long mission trip in the Summer to save some souls for Jesus. That’ll do it! We’ll give our 10%! Check the box. Done. Yet Jesus calls us for more. He calls us to be a servant, to be a helper, to be great lovers of His people. All His people. It’s not that hard. We can actually do it everyday. Everyday people are looking for a hand, and it’s up to us to lend it. It’s up to us to be the hands and feet, to show the world His love in our willingness to give our time and attention.
Jesus doesn’t call us to fly across the world and feed the starving children. He does some. But He also calls us to feed the children right in our own neighborhood. We feed them with the turn of a screwdriver, or the holding open of a heavy screen door. We feed them with a smile, a compliment, a helping hand. We feed them when we notice a need, and fill it. We feed more than stomachs. We feed hearts. We feed needs. We feed spirits. We feed the fulfillment of God’s will. We feed selflessness. We are helpers. And that’s something the world needs more of.
Stephanie says
I loved this post on being a helper for many reasons. It reminds me of the joy I’ve experienced helping out in a totally unplanned moment. Unplanned by me, but not by God! I thrive on making plans and following them. But sometimes God does so much more in those moments we didn’t plan!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Yes, He does!
Shirley Rowland says
I loved this post as well… In this crazy busy world, it is good to be reminded that we can be the hands of Jesus serving his people and also those that aren’t…thank you for this beautiful reminder…❤️
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you!
Dave says
I marvel at some of the christian organizations that are there during tragedies to offer warm meals, water, blankets and most of all prayers for hurting people! Ben sounds like one of those givers and helpers! I don’t even know your Ben but he sounds like such a big hearted guy! Hats of to you Ben! Praise God for you!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you!
Lisa Pierce says
I love this! Yes, there’s many way and opportunities every day to help someone in need. Jesus made Himself a servant and we should be too. Thanks for sharing!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you!