Angels Among Us

I am linking up for Five Minute Friday. The FMF is hosted by Kate Motaung on the new Five Minute Friday blog. Today’s prompt is “Work.” This community is such a gift to me. As I settle into a new community, I am trying to find rhythm and routine once again. The Five Minute Friday Twitter party along with one of my other favorite Twitter chats #SlateSpeak which is hosted by the Slate Project are two places I have longed for and are once again bringing me some routine. I am sad when I miss these Twitter parties. We’d love to have you join us on Thursday nights for our Twitter party. 

“We know that all things work together for good, for those who love God,  who are called according to his purpose.”–Romans 8:28 (NRSV)

“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”–Romans 8:28 (The Message)

The renowned Mr. Rogers (look at me–mentioning him in my post two weeks in a row) shares about a quote his mom used to always share with him. He writes “When I was 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.'”

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time watching the news when there seems to be so much evil and violence. It often can seem so hard to find the helpers. But the reality is when we look closely around the world and us, we start to see the helpers in our midst.

During and after Hurricane Harvey, I have seen so many helpers. People helping people! People helping each other muck out churches, homes, etc. It has been a powerful witness to the goodness that happens when we work together.

I also have seen this beauty in preparation for Hurricane Irma. Friends helping friends put shutters on their windows; moving down the line from one house to another. Together, we can make a difference.

And to be honest, it can feel like maybe we aren’t doing enough. But the truth is every little bit helps. Every little bit works together to make good. I am reminded of the 30000 youth and adults who have gathered over the years to serve in Detroit (2015) and New Orleans (2012 and 2009). In 2015, these youth made over 4000 warm hats. Over 1,000,000 diapers were collected and 1,425 backpacks were filled and distributed. This is an incredible witness to what it looks like when we work together for the good of all God’s people. And these youth are ready to serve in Houston next summer!

Being the hands and feet of Christ together we work together for the good of all the world; for the good of all people. I see helpers in lifting up our dear FMF brother Andrew. I see helpers when we gather around our friend Molly at the unexpected loss of her mother. Where else have you seen helpers in our midst?

Let’s look for the helpers among us; for when we see the helpers; I believe we have found angels among us.

And since I seem to be channeling our brother Andrew’s love of videos and music, I thought I would add a song to this post! 

 

26 thoughts on “Angels Among Us

  1. I like this focus of looking for the helpers. It is really heart-breaking to see all the suffering right now with the hurricanes as well as in people’s individual situations, but it does often seem to bring out the best in people as they pull together and help one another. I love the song you shared too!

  2. I needed to read the message version of Romans 8:28, something about “life of love” really got to me today. And, every little bit helps. Way to go mentioning Mr Rogers twice, I mentioned him last week too.

    I’m a bit like Andrew, mentioning songs in posts. Your title reminded me of this: https://youtu.be/1EvQDPFxABo

    Thank you for sharing this, for the encouragement. ❤️ Visiting from fmf.

  3. i agree tara. we often underestimate what small groups of people can do. even the help we do with our small circle of family and friends cuts down on the number of people who have to be helped by others. but small groups of people, when we get together and join forces can do quite a bit! we defeat ourselves when we tell ourselves we can’t do much, then don’t do anything:( the making of kits is very helpful in helping those on site have what they need to do their jobs. it saves them the work of having to shop for those supplies which can be very time consuming and money consuming when on the scene. those bucket kits cost $55-65 depending on where you shop, etc. they are very cool:)

  4. It is so hard when we feel like our help isn’t enough, particularly in the face of such overwhelming experiences. But I do think that every little bit matters, like you say, and that it transforms us in the experience as well.

  5. Years ago I was working at a college, and came across a young Pit Bull confined in a fenced enclosure behind the police station. I was told that he had been picked up on campus, was going to be turned over to county animal control, and since they had a policy of immediately killing Pits he was toast. And what business of it was mine?

    I went back to look him, and suddenly there was a lovely young woman next to me. I told her the story, and she said, “I’ll lift the bottom of the fence…you grab him and RUN!”

    I did, and thus Jolly Tulip came to grace my life for fifteen very weird years. (He loved to urinate on me, and could often be found sitting in a bathroom sink, all 80 lbs of him, admiring his reflection in the mirror.) And I never saw the girl again.

  6. I love Mr. Rogers. You can post with a nod to him any time! 🙂
    I am glad for the encouragement to look for the helpers. I have been blessed since I have moved to be able to serve in little ways but it has helped me meet some amazing people. Once a month I work with a food truck ministry where we basically take loaded up shopping carts of food to individuals who come to the food bank monthly at our new church. It is such a blessing meeting the people who we get to serve. I am blessed to meet those who are doing the serving too. Some come in and for hours fill boxes and shopping carts, others pour juice and set out cookies and just say “How are you?”, while others pray.

    There is a lot of good in this world. I am grateful for those who show up in the storm.

    Thanks for sharing today!

    Visiting from #70

  7. Yes! God needs our hands and feet and pocketbooks to help other people. Sometimes, he needs us to bake cookies or sit in silence next to someone. Other times, we need to drop to our knees and pray. Those are all ways to help and be used by God.

  8. Tara-first of all-the verse from Romans lifted me up this morning. It reminds me that God meets our needs in unexpected ways. We are never out of sight. If only we could all be mindful always of how God wants to use us to be Jesus’ hands and feet to each other. It should not take a crisis for that to be evident.

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