“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news,
my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.
You will always find people who are helping.” Fred Rogers
Who are the helpers?
*Hospital workers treating patients even at their own risk.
*Government officials making and enforcing hard, unpopular decisions.
*Scientists laboring feverishly to find a vaccine.
*First Responders working because the public needs them.
*Everyone providing necessary services: grocery store employees, medical office personnel, pharmacists, so many others.
And these are helpers, too:
*Anyone practicing good hand washing hygiene.
*Those mindfully distancing themselves socially.
*People staying home, even when uncomfortable and inconvenient.
*Businesses, churches, restaurants, etc., closing to protect the community.
*Those buying only what they need, leaving some for others.
*Those sharing what they have.
*Those checking on neighbors to be sure they are okay.
*Those reaching out to others with a kind word, a joke, a prayer.
Helpers do what they can with what they have for the good of all. Bottom line, in this crisis, everyone can help, for their own sake as well as for the country – and the world. Because:
The paradox of the novel coronavirus response is that it only works if we take aggressive steps before they seem necessary and, if they work, will not have seemed necessary. Success will look like we overreacted. This is a unique emergency, but the basics still apply. From an ABC News article
And don’t forget the greatest Helper of all:
God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 New Century Version (NCV)
I believe prayer is more powerful than all the hand sanitizer in the world. Praying means simply placing someone in God’s hands even without words, because God knows the desire of our hearts. I make a point of lifting you into God’s hands daily. Sometimes even twice.
Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God!
All nations on earth will honor me.”
The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 46:10-11 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
We are not defenseless; the All-Powerful God is with us. Not just now, while we are particularly anxious, but always. It helps me to remember that.
And it helps me to remember this:
We are not helpless. We are the helpers.