A woman, her arms full of shopping bags, fell face first on the busy sidewalk, knocking out her wind and sending the bags flying. Holiday shoppers swarmed past, until a few noticed and formed a protective circle around her.
“Are you alright?” asked one.
“Can I help you up.”
“Do you need me to call someone?”
The woman shook her head. “Maybe we need to call an ambulance,” someone said. Again, the woman signaled, “no.”
The people looked at one another, feeling helpless, waiting for they weren’t sure what.
Finally, a young man emerged from the crowd, set down his bags and lowered himself to the pavement beside the woman who was still collapsed on the hard cement. He said nothing; simply sat beside her. Finally, the woman turned to him, smiled and whispered, “Thank you. I just wanted someone to wait with me until I felt ready to get up.”
In a way, this is a Christmas story. A story about a god who time and again, called to people through prophets and teachers. People who were consumed with despair, broken and hurting, who had fallen on a path of pain. For hundreds of years, they had listened to promises like this one from Isaiah: “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles,” if they renounced their “foolish ways.” Promises, promises.
Well, maybe they didn’t want to be lifted up like eagles. Maybe what they wanted was for God to be down with them in the muck and the dust of living. And maybe at last God heard their voices and decided to shrug off an immortal cloak and come find out what a human life was all about. Maybe all the people wanted was for God to be with them, in their pain and sorrow as well as their days of joy.
And so one day it happened that a man appeared in their community, a man who walked beside them, a man who showed them how to live with love for each other. And because he too experienced the heartache and disappointment that comes to everyone sooner or later, he knew about loneliness and disappointment. Thus, If Jesus was a savior, as millions so believe, then to my mind, his willingness to be with all who suffer, without judgment or impatience, is the way he saves.
Almost everyone I know has experienced times when getting up seems practically impossible. Maybe not literally getting out of bed in the morning, although that too; just getting up the energy or the will or the desire to “keep on keepin’ on.”
Days of gloom that match the weather, dark afternoons that match a blue mood. Drizzle and drear inside and out. While grieving the death of a friend or mourning a world that seems to have disappeared. At those times, we crave someone by our side. Someone who understands that when there is no fix, they will be present for us until we too feel ready to get up.
13 Responses
Thank you, Polly, these are deep words of truth for these times!
Nanri
Beautifully written Polly. I wish it was available to everyone, especially in these times of extra troubles for all.
Shirley
Polly,
As always so very inspirational> Sometimes just being present is extremely comforting and healing.
Yes, it is Presence that is so important! Thanks for the reminder.
Loved this, Polly, thanks so much ~
Jane❤️
These days of austerity along with relative panic about getting debt, lots of people balk up against the idea of utilizing a credit card in order to make acquisition of merchandise or maybe pay for a vacation, preferring, instead just to rely on the tried as well as trusted means of making payment – raw cash. However, if you have the cash there to make the purchase in full, then, paradoxically, that’s the best time to use the card for several good reasons.
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all folks you really know what you’re speaking about! Bookmarked. Please additionally discuss with my site =). We could have a hyperlink exchange contract among us!
I appreciate, cause I found just what I was looking for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
You completed certain good points there. I did a search on the issue and found nearly all people will consent with your blog.
I think other web-site proprietors should take this site as an model, very clean and wonderful user genial style and design, let alone the content. You are an expert in this topic!
I have been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or weblog posts on this sort of house . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this web site. Studying this info So i抦 happy to exhibit that I’ve an incredibly excellent uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most without a doubt will make certain to do not disregard this website and provides it a look regularly.
Thanks a lot for giving everyone an extraordinarily memorable possiblity to read from this site. It’s always so good and packed with fun for me and my office co-workers to search your site at a minimum three times a week to read through the latest guidance you have. And of course, I’m just at all times fulfilled with the attractive knowledge you give. Selected two ideas in this article are basically the most efficient I’ve had.
Interesting article. It is very unfortunate that over the last years, the travel industry has had to handle terrorism, SARS, tsunamis, influenza, swine flu, and also the first ever true global downturn. Through all this the industry has really proven to be sturdy, resilient as well as dynamic, getting new solutions to deal with difficulty. There are always fresh difficulties and opportunity to which the field must again adapt and behave.