When you walk down a city street and see someone coming your way, there is a good chance they might be hurting. It seems so many people I speak to are carrying burdens they cannot handle. Our Father in Heaven did not create us to carry these burdens. His Word says to cast our cares and burdens on Him, because He cares for us. Henry David Thoreau famously stated in Walden that “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” It is easy to wake up, hurry out the door, working through the day without any thought of sanity, and come home exhausted, collapsing on the couch. The cycle continues.

We have the latest and greatest digital media tools today sending us a continuous news cycle. The news attempts to change our thoughts and behavior, or causes us to have great fear about the state of the world. We are streaming music, television shows and movies on all of our devices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We binge watch Netflix, hoping to escape our own reality. The ironic thing about movies and television shows today  is that good does not always triumph over evil.

We are afraid to sit and be still.

We think to ourselves, “If I am very still and quiet, I may have to confront the bad decisions and thoughts running around my mind.”  We think to ourselves, “If I am still, then perhaps God might speak and reprimand me.” Would He condemn us just as we condemn ourselves?  Would He speak something that might require us to take action?  We like to hear a sermon that motivates us, but we are not as excited about applying what we have learned.

Taking up our cross daily does not seem fun. We ask ourselves, “What must I give up for this menacing God who created this universe?” Maybe the questions we ask ourselves are scarier than that. “What if there is no God?” we ask ourselves. Who or what can we turn to then? I have seen man treat his fellow man in most horrible ways. I have seen wars and rumors of war. I have seen men riot and destroy property and people. I have seen children mistreated and abused.  Did they not even kill Jesus, the Son of God?

Yet, I have seen the Amish community come together and raise a barn for their neighbor.  I have seen people come from different states to help victims of natural disasters who have lost everything. I have seen people give to telethons to help people attend college. I have seen people who jump into the water to save people who are drowning.

Be still and know that I am God.

What a statement by our Father.  If we want to help others, first we need to let the Father heal us. When we receive from the Father, we should freely give to others. We should allow the Holy Spirit to show us people who are hurting, and be there for them. You do not have to be a great authority on God’s Word.  Sometimes the greatest thing you can do is just be there. Just be there to listen, or just be there to give a hug.  God has equipped us to do extraordinary things with His help.  We need to step out and God will do the rest.

Do not think small things do not matter. Most things are small, but to the person who receives the act of kindness, small seems large. Even if just walk past people, smile and acknowledge them that could mean the world to them. Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed, our thoughts become so jumbled that we think no one cares.  Let people know that you care! There is a saying that people do not care what you have to say, until they know you care at all. The Bible says that we can tell mountains to jump and they will, but it means nothing if we do not care for others or have love. Love is the greatest gift God gave us, and the greatest gift we can give.

Many rock bands have “unplugged performances” where the only instruments used might be acoustic guitars instead of the normal electric ones.  Let us start unplugging our “smart devices” and allow our Father in Heaven to fill the silence.  After we have spent time in His presence, let us go forth and stop, look, and listen for those hurting people God puts in our path.  Let us share the comfort our Father has given us with others!