Don't Leave Your Post

Sentry of the Grenadier Guards posted outside of Buckingham Palace

We all have busy lives filled with work, family, friends, and obligations.  Yet there is a group of people around us…ourCircle of Influence who gravitate around us, comprised of family, friends, co-workers, etc.  These people depend on us “Being There” whether they acknowledge us or not.  Even if we lead quiet mundane lives, we all have a Post or Flock to tend to…people who love us, need us, like us, or even those who at times act indifferent towards us.  These people are in our lives for a reason.  Some are not intended to be there for a lifetime and others for just a short season.

There will come a time when God or Life will force us to act on behalf of these people in our Post.  Our involvement is critical and essential to that person.  It’s not wise to assume that someone else will step in or provide assistance.  If you are within striking distance, it’s time to swing and make a difference.  This will Bless you more than them, believe it or not!  You never know when a time will come for you to receive from those who are called to care for you. It’s quite awe-inspiring and life changing.  This is how God intended it! 

1 Thesalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

In 2011, I suffered a traumatic back injury that left me helpless and immobile for almost 3 months.  I had to allow others to care for me, pray for me, pay for me, carry me (literally), and share in my struggles.  This was difficult for me to do due to my independent spirit and pride. Allowing others to help me and assist me was a humbling experience.  Through this experience, I have grown to see God’s Power and Love at work in my life, as well as the lives of those who have come to my rescue!

Matthew  25:35-40

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

The Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena is nationally famous for one thing…dozens of people tragically taking their own lives by jumping off.  It is also known as “Suicide Bridge.”  Police Lieutenant Delgado told Pasadena Star News reporter, Brian Day that he believes the way to prevent suicides is for regular people to look out for one another and pay attention to warning signs of trouble.  "We're all so in a hurry that we don't slow down and realize what's going on in front of our faces," he said. "Everybody's got an obligation to look a little deeper."

Lamentations 3:56
You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.”

In our busy lives, are we looking deeper at the ones who are placed in our Post?  Has God placed someone in your heart to reach out to, but in your busyness haven’t done so?   Is there anyone who has recently lost a job, a loved one, left a marriage, lost a home?  Or has anyone you know been injured, is sick, or is facing hardship at this time?  These people need our care and face time more than ever.  Even just a phone call, lunch, or a coffee at Starbuck’s is what people need to gain some perspective outside of their vacuums.  During this economic downturn people are staying in more, doing less shopping, cutting back on recreation, driving less, and seeing less people.  This saves money and gas, but it doesn’t fair well for one’s spirit; especially if their spirit has been hit by one hardship after another.  It is very easy for someone who is already facing adversity to spiral downward fast.  
People need to be refreshed with encouragement, kindness, and thoughtfulness.  Proverbs tells us that “gracious words are a honeycomb; sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”  During His ministry, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, refreshed and quenched thirsty spirits, and healed the broken and sick with His touch. This was all in a day’s work! If each of us did one “washing of feet” act on behalf of someone else per week, what an impact it would make not only to our neighbor, but to the world!

Psalm 130:2
Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

I can’t tell you how richly blessed I was for friends and family to watch over me during my back injury.  I wasn’t reaching out to people due to depression and chronic pain.  I wasn’t in the mood to go out either because I wasn’t very mobile and was struggling financially from medical expenses. They persisted and checked up on me regularly, took me out on my birthday and paid for meals when we went out. This made all the difference for me not to spiral into a deep chasm of despair.

Millions of dollars have been spent to keep “Would Be” jumpers from taking the plunge off the bridge. An eight foot galvanized steel gate with pointed rails on the top was put in place to make it difficult for anyone to climb over.  Well-trained police and fire officials are ready to respond when distress calls are made.  As children of God, we must be prepared to respond to the distress calls, signals, and groans of those in our Post.  Are you ready for action or do you press the Snooze button when the alarm goes off?

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

If you don’t know of someone facing a crisis or hardship and want to help, but don’t know where to start, ask God to guide you.  The book of James tells us that if anyone lacks wisdom to ask God, who gives generously.  Many churches and non profit organizations need volunteers.  Convalescent homes are filled with elderly people with no one to visit them.  If you are single, take the time to investigate your areas of passion and give your time to these causes.  The Lord uses single people to serve Him in extraordinary ways.  

5 Ways to Help People Now

1.  Reach out to 1 to 3 people you feel need your attention the most and invite them for coffee or lunch/dinner…whichever is most appropriate and fits your budget.  Depressed people don’t ask for help.  They usually withdraw from the world and wallow in their sorrows.  Their response time may be slow and may even require multiple pokes before they reply.  Be PATIENT.  If you text them, they won’t divulge their real condition.  It’s best to reach out and see them in person to get some fresh air and fresh perspectives.

2.  Send an email or text 2 to 5 people you care for and let them know how much you love them and appreciate them.

3.  If you are engaged or married, encourage your mate with a greeting card or an email telling them how blessed and fortunate you are to have them in your life.  (There are currently 99.6 million single people over the age of 18 in the U.S.) We must not neglect our own wells and fountains that we draw from daily.  We must replenish those who pour into our lives without even asking for anything in return.

4.  If you have children, depending on your budget, take your child or children on a date.  Spend one hour mostly LISTENING and talking to them about their interests, likes, dislikes, etc.  This will remind them that they matter and that they are loved.  

5.  If you are not serving in a church through a ministry or volunteering in some capacity, commit to spending at least 2 hours in service to another…outside of yourself and your daily routine.
I encourage and challenge you to join me by spending the next few weeks taking action through this list.  My personal goal is to finish this list by April 7th…minus number 3 of course!  Life is too precious to let those in our Post slip through the cracks silently in despair…while we think, “everything is fine.”  If we look deeper and ask for God’s Guidance, He will direct us.  And through His Power and Grace, we will see miracles as lives transform!  And places like the Colorado Street Bridge will be just that…a bridge…a pathway from one place to the next…rather than an exit!

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Minding our Post is keeping up with major and minor milestones in life with family and friends.  And along the way, God will bring people in our path.  Be sensitive to these stirrings and promptings.  Even if people don’t respond to us in kind, God sees our efforts and blesses our endeavors.  Some people are not accustomed to kind gestures.  Others will even become suspicious with our acts of random kindness.  Don’t take it personal and move on.  There are many others who need our attention.  Loving others is the fulfillment of God’s law.

Romans 13:8-10

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law…”Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Minding our Post also requires that we continually get trained and recharged by our Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ.  He holds the largest Post of all!  Protecting and carrying each and every one of us; tending to our biggest needs down to our innermost longings.  “All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.” (Psalm 38:9)

He is merciful and generous, not withholding anything from us that will be beneficial to the building of our characters.  At the same time, He will withhold or extract individuals from our Post if He sees it as beneficial.  There could be certain areas in your life or another’s life that God wants to deal with, without your presence and vice versa.  I happen to experience this in my own life recently, as listed above.  I have to trust His guidance and be at peace during this separation period.  Just like God separated Abraham from his family, Moses from Egypt, and even allowed Joseph to be taken away as a slave, He sets us apart to cleanse us and refine us for a higher purpose.  Accept God’s sovereignty at this juncture and be prepared for His power and grace to build your character for deeper compassions to work at His orchestrated events in your future.

The book of Luke Chapter 10 tells one of the Parables of Jesus; the compassionate actions of the Good Samaritan towards the half dead wounded Jewish man lying on the street.  The Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers: beaten, stripped, and left for dead.  A priest happened to be walking by saw the man, but went out of his way to walk on the other side of the street.   Afterwards, a Levite walked by, saw him, and immediately crossed the street.  These two holy men didn’t want to get their hands dirty or be bothered to stop or help the wounded man.  But a Samaritan man who was a gentile, was despised and considered inferior by the Jewish people saw the wounded man and took pity on him.  He wiped his wounds with oil, using his own linens to wipe away his blood.  Then placed him on his donkey and rode to an inn where the wounded man can recuperate.  

This Samaritan man didn’t check first if the victim was from the same decent before helping him.  He simply saw someone who urgently needed help and immediately took action.  There was no contemplation, but rather a character of compassion that was pre-shaped from knowing God and being separated for a higher calling.

Jesus was separated from The Father for a higher calling; the highest calling known to creation…He became the atonement for sin and the bridge that reconciles us to The Father, even while we were still sinners. 

“Jesus Christ is the quintessential good neighbor, and His example is the one to imitate. He saw a world of sinners robbed of their potential, stripped of spiritual ideals, wounded by sins, and unable to rise by themselves from their beaten state. He came down to where the sinners are and gave mankind a corresponding act of mercy, seen in type in the Good Samaritan. Through His death and resurrection, He covers our nakedness, binds up our wounds, and heals them. He puts us in the safety of His church and provides for our physical and spiritual needs. God gives us abundantly more than we ask.”

-- Martin G. Collins

We can show Him our gratitude for the abundance we have been given by submitting to His sovereign will as He strengthens our character and deepens our compassion for others.  Minding our Post would be our Thank You card to Him!