Crisis

In every project and phase in life, there is a crisis.  If everything goes smoothly, I find myself missing the moments of panic, turmoil, and uncertainty.  As time passes, you know the crisis is coming, you just do not know when.  Crises seem to multiply.  They spring up without warning.  They are not fair. 
 
In these moments, it is hard to remember that others are with you.  I watch mothers dealing with kids out of control on the subway.  It is a living, breathing, chaotic example of an individual in a crisis who often believes there is no one to help.  Rarely does the mother have the courage to ask for help.  Even when she does, people often look at her as if she is crazy!
 
I watched a young man respond to a crisis in the back of our subway car.  It was incredible.  There were a few words of sympathy and then simple action.  I found an incredible lesson embedded in the process.  He offered with an openness that reflected her right to refuse.  She could easily say “no” without offending anyone.  He acted without regard or need for recognition.  There was a need and he filled it.  He moved on, expressing community yet not assuming there was more to the story.  She received a gift without strings.  A crisis resolved.  A model I can use from a New York subway car.  A sense of what it means to be part of a family.
 
I often find myself feeling as if I am alone.  It is in the depths of the experience that the answer comes, “Don't panic.  I'm with you.  There's no need to fear for I'm your God.  I'll give you strength.  I'll help you.  I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.”  (Isaiah 41.10)
 
I’m sure another crisis is lurking around the corner.  I am quite sure I will probably not see it coming.  I will panic.  I will also remember God with me.  God is with you soon.  We are never alone.  We are part of Divinity’s family.