I enjoy life just a little bit more when a friend asks me for help. The request validates my value to another, even if it is for one of the more mundane tasks of life. I also enjoy offering my help; it is as if the person has found favor in my eyes and I am giving away part of the gift that so many different people have given me over the years.
I can remember the times in my life where the requests for help did not always fit in conveniently. I struggled with the pressure du jour, wondering why I was so important at that particular time. There were times that I said no, and wondered for a long time afterwards about my decision. There were also times where I said yes, and participated in the emotions that comes with being Santa Claus or a special angel for a fellow traveler.
As I reflect, I see calls for favor, requests for help, and needs that are going unanswered all around me. Each is an opportunity to give something away that is priceless. I can give of my time. It is possible to provide mercy, acceptance in an unconditional way that makes the gifts priceless. Ironically, the gifts come from a decision to give God's values and way of dealing with us away for the same price we paid for them; nothing. We cannot buy these gifts; yet, each of us seeks them with an unquenchable thirst every day. Our thirst is the same as the people around us – those getting on with life as well as those struggling to live out today.
Paul asked a favor from his friends. “Help her out in whatever she asks.” (Romans 16.2)
God asks you and I to do him a favor. “Give away the gifts I have given you. I do promise that you cup will never be empty. Giving what you receive away assures that you will always experience the very things you thirst for; unconditional acceptance, love, and mercy.”
Little things make the difference.
