Can You Help Me?

By Charlotte Riegel –

While visiting my son’s family, the grandchildren pulled out a bucket of play dough and set to work creating various wondrous things. Lilah, the thoughtful one, quietly began playing with the number molds, filling them, digging out the play dough and lining up the numbers. I wondered if she would soon be setting up a mathematical equation for me to solve.

Silas dug through the bucket looking for anything he could use to make an action figure. He eventually settled on a dinosaur mold that sort of looked like a turtle with holes in the shell for the spikes of a dinosaur. What surprised me was his use of the mold. Instead of filling it to create his beast, he began scraping the play dough across the holes, creating crumbles of play dough, or perhaps sand for his dino to walk in. At any rate, that’s all he did for nearly an hour and I silently wondered if perhaps he might become a chef one day, grating cheese and chocolate.

Zoe sat with a few pieces of play dough and some molds but seemed at a loss as to what she should do with them. “Gramma, can you help me?” she pleaded.

“Of course I can help you. What would you like me to do?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Well then,” I continued, “if you don’t know what you want me to do, how will you know I have helped you when I’m done?”

She took items out of the bucket and put them back in, then left the table apparently disinterested in play dough activities, and began playing with her dolls.

The next day when I felt at a loss with a circumstance facing me, I cried out to God, “Can you help me with this, Lord?” I immediately heard my play dough activity words to Zoe echo back to me.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

I have never doubted that God can help me, but if I’m not specific with my requests, how will I know that He answered my prayer?

PRAYER: Lord, today I need Your help with organizing my day appropriately to accomplish all that needs doing. And, it would be absolutely fabulous if You helped me succeed without becoming distraught, frustrated, or frantic. Amen.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see” (Mark 10:51 NIV).

The Speech of Our Actions

By Charlotte Riegel –

As soon as I entered my son’s house, I knew he was distraught. His actions of frustration and his angry words immediately sent me into default mode of ‘run and hide/get out of here quick.’

I grew up with an angry father who raged often and always left something broken in the wake of his fury. Sometimes it was furniture or some other inanimate object left in pieces. Always, the nerves and peace of mind of everyone within earshot of his outburst were shattered. Even in my older age, that childhood fear subtly threatens to paralyze me and subconsciously controls my actions whenever I am near anyone in a rage.

I quickly completed my predetermined business at his house while he slouched in a chair texting on his cell phone, ignoring me. Then I left with a muffled ‘bye.’

An email from my son awaited me at home. It’s message surprised me. He felt as if I had pushed him away, rejected him, when I was responding to his body language that told me he wanted to be left alone.

It was apparent both of us had misunderstood the body language of the other person. I had jumped into my default ‘get out of here quick’ mode when in fact he was emotionally distressed and needed a hug from me as well as an ear to help him process some challenges he was facing.

QUOTE: “I know you think you know what I said. I’m not sure you realize what you heard is not what I meant.”
Anonymous

PRAYER: Dear God, Thank You for the relationships in our lives. Give us the words, actions and heart so that we may love as You do.

Major Life Changes = Stress

By Charlotte Riegel –

This past year took my husband and I through major life changes. Stress became my middle name. Thankfully our marriage of 44 years has survived renovating a large house in preparation for selling it. We then moved into a much older house ⅓ the size of the one we occupied for the past 17 years which necessitated a great deal of downsizing, and more renovations.

On the days when I thought I could not go on, I was reminded of Isaiah 40:31 and asked God for my strength to be renewed so that I could run through the events of my day without being weary. When I arrived at the end of those days feeling energized, I recognized my prayer had been answered and much had been accomplished.

Now, settling into my new home, on many days I still feel frazzled. I dislike these feelings of running off the rails and could not understand why I was struggling to cope. The Holy Spirit reminded me of a recent sermon I heard based on Mark 10:51. Jesus often healed people after they answered His question to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” I am hearing God ask me that same question. It’s not enough for me to simply call out “Help!” I need to become specific. I need to know what I desire God to do for me and then ask Him for it.

PRAYER: Lord, my need today is for sunshine. Please send some sunshine to brighten my days.
(This prayer was said after two weeks of fog and very grey, dull, wet, cold weather. I wrestle with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and two days later I woke to a cloudless sky and bright sunshine. I bounded out of bed and felt more energized and alive than I had in days. Thank you, Lord.)
“’What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see’” (Mark 10:54 NIV)

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