You Will Never Forget

12 Feb

“You’ll never forget a person who came to you with a torch in the dark.”  ~ M. Rose

There are many experiences we have throughout our lives and even though we may say we never will, we forget a vast majority of those experiences.  It’s not because they were unimportant.  It’s because we have so many experiences that they often get crowded out in our memories.

The experiences that we tend to never forget, though, are what I call the “rescue experiences”.  They are the times that someone came to us when we were in dire need and provided help so that we could get out of a bad situation.  Without their help, we may well have been lost.

Rescue experiences come in different shapes and sizes.  Sometimes they’re as simple as a hello or an offer to lend assistance.  Other times they’re very elaborate.  When someone says that they are simple or elaborate, though, that person would be saying it from the outside looking in.

When we are the ones who are in dire need, a “simple hello” might not be as simple as someone on the outside might think.  That “simple hello” might be the voice of an angel calling out to us telling us that we are not alone.  We don’t often know the depths of despair that others experience in life.

That simple hello could be the torch in the dark of which Rose speaks.  Someone else would shrug their shoulders and say, “It was just a light.”  To a person engulfed by the dark, a light can burn away the despair and gloom.

We never know when a person might be feeling that they have hit rock bottom.  From our perspective, that person might look fine.  We might even say that person has everything going for him or her.  In those times, we run the risk of ignoring the help that they need.  It is important to assess situations not with our own eyes but with the eyes of Christ.  He will let us know when a person is in need and He will invite us to help that person.

Christ is the Light of the world.  When we bring Christ to others, we bring a torch in the dark.  Look to the needs of others.  Bring cheer to all you meet.  Give aid and comfort to the person in need.  Visit the sick or shut-in.  Check in on elderly neighbors, relatives, or friends.  In doing so, you will keep the love of Christ burning brightly.

Never forget what it meant to be in need and to have someone come to you and help you in that time of struggle.  You can show your gratitude by reaching out to others and becoming a torch in the dark for them.

FAITH ACTION:  Help those you know who are in need.  Let people know that they are important to  you. Pray for those in distress.