Speak Life

Come Alongside

There are so many hurting people in this world. They hurt for different reasons.

Some went through abusive childhoods. I am not actually referring to physical abuse here although many have suffered that as well. Did you know that verbal abuse can be at least as damaging if not more so. A child who is called stupid or bad thinks, “If my mom or dad say that it must be so. I am evil/dim-witted. They do not have the intellectual maturity to throw this away, and so they make it their own opinion of themselves. This also happens to adults who are harangued by people they love, work with, or those they call friends. These people have a neediness that is not always evident.

Other people hurt from loneliness. Maybe they have never connected in any kind of permanent way with anyone else. Or…they could have lost a loved one after many, many years of being together in a marriage. Such people often sit alone in their houses filled with loneliness that we can hardly imagine. They go to stores and other places where they seem invisible and are alone in the crowd.

There is the lack of affirmation and praise for a job well done but seems to go unnoticed. People are blessed by the acknowledgement that someone has noticed and been touched by big or even modest things that they have done.

Another activity along these lines is to help someone when they are in need. Sharing your talent, sharing a meal, just digging in to finish a task are very worthwhile endeavors. Working alongside a busy or overwhelmed person will be something that she (or he) will never forget.

It is so easy to reach out to others to come alongside and the good news is that it costs you nothing but a bit of time. You are standing in the grocery line and you see a cute baby. A few words to the proud mom makes her day. Perhaps a compliment is in order for someone who looks very nice. Just stepping out to relate positively to sometime is a sanctified habit. It allows the one who does this to function as the mouth of God.

Dear God, help me to be sensitive today to the needs of others for a kind word or a bit of help. I want to come alongside those who need this. Show me the ones that you would have me reach out to and give me the words to say or actions that I can take. I want to do Your will.
Amen.

Written by
Corinne Mustafa