Be The Hope
By their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:20
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17:17
Insight
"When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" Fred Rogers
During troubling times, the world longs for a calming and gentle voice. For most people my age raised on PBS, that individual was Mr. Rogers. Let's be honest: we all wanted to be his neighbor.
What made the man in the red sweater a cultural icon resided in his ability to take complex adult concepts and boil them down into language kids could easily understand and comprehend. So, it makes sense that amid the coronavirus pandemic, political discord, and natural disasters that his famous "Look for the helpers" quote is currently making its rounds on social media.
Escape the news is an impossible task. There's uncertainty about finances and job security. People are sick, hungry, and in need. We all wonder when or if things will ever get back to "normal." It seems the only thing people can agree upon is that they disagree and can't see eye-to-eye. Disinformation, rants, and arguments flood our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
Yes, adversity brings to the surface the ugliness of humanity, but that doesn't mean beauty isn't present. We must not only look to the helpers, but at this moment, and at all times, we need to be one. The choice is ours whether we either add to the world's chaos or contribute to its healing.
In everything we do, we should strive to be hopeful and helpful.
Jesus, in Matthew 7, says people will recognize the church, and us as believers, through the fruit, or the good, we produce. The way a helper responds and reacts causes people to take notice. They stand out and rise to the occasion by providing a steady force of tangible love.
Be the hope you want to see today by lending a hand. Be a helper.
Reflection
How can you be a helper to someone else currently facing adversity?
Prayer
God, open my eyes to the needs around me, but may I not stop there. Instead, I want to display the courage to respond with humility, love, and sacrifice. May I be a helper today who brings a bit of Your hope to the places where I'm planted. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.