If They Can’t Go To the Beach…
None of us need to go to the ends of the world to find someone who is hurting. All you need to do is look to your left or to your right, or possibly just in the mirror. I am sure that you know someone who is battling cancer or some serious medical problem, someone who is facing death or has just gone through the death of a loved one, someone who is unemployed or is in the midst of a family crisis, someone who is lonely or on the fringes of society for whatever reason. The oft-quoted saying goes like this, “Some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.” Right now, there is someone near you who feels like the statue.
My challenge to you is to find that person near you who is hurting or struggling, and simply be a friend. Most likely this person will not expect you to fix their problem or even have all the answers. All they want is an ear to listen, a hand to hold, a shoulder to lean on, to know they are loved.
The Bible is filled with verses encouraging us to help each other. Here is just one, found in Philippians that challenges us to imitate the humility of Jesus, the humble servant, who willingly gave up His life to serve the world – “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (2:3-4).
Just what does that look like in real life? Maybe like this: Once upon a time there was a hospice social worker who had a client who was dying. This elderly lady just loved the beach – the shells, sand between her toes, sounds of the ocean, smell of suntan lotion, and yes, even the seagulls – but could no longer go to the beach due to her declining health. So, this social worker took the beach to her lady, in a small glass jar with sand and shells. A day before this lady died, she asked her nurse to take the lid off the jar, so she could one last time breathe in the smells the ocean. Can you imagine the smile on her heart, the love she felt, moments before breathing her last breath! You see, it really is as easy as that.
So, here’s the deal. Invite someone over for a cookout, give them a bouquet of flowers, take them grocery shopping or to get a pedicure, get tickets to a ballgame, maybe go visit that person, or if you cannot visit, then call them. If they can’t go to the beach… take the beach to them. It is not what you do that matters. What matters is that you do something. Just show them that you care. Do something.
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