The Impact of Support
If you've ever glanced at any of my profiles you probably know that I am a Christian Counselor. It's not something I highlight, but want to make sure that clients who are seeking faith based counseling know I offer. The reason I don't highlight is out of concern that potential clients might turn away for fear of me preaching or proselytizing to them, judge them, or whatever other assumptions that might be made.
So I tread cautiously in my writings for fear of the same.
But today I read something in the Bible that painted such a beautiful image in my mind, I had to share.
The beauty of helping others
I think we’re all aware there’s an epidemic of loneliness right now. People are feeling more and more disenfranchised from each other and from the collective being. Solutions to this might sound simple, but are they?
If getting closer to others, or adding more social supports in our lives was easy, would we be in this mess?
The truth is-sometimes no matter how badly we want friends, family, or support, regardless of how hard we try to find it, sometimes it's just not available. Not everyone has someone. This is a hard truth to swallow, so we continue to quip, but you're not alone, go out and meet people, join a gym, a church, and my favorite- go sit at the bar and have dinner, you'll meet people there.
Well intended but sometimes only widens the delta between feeling understood and feeling alone, feeling ‘normal’ and feeling left out.
I often tell people when they are in a funk the best way to get out of their own way is to do something nice for someone else. It's easy, it's free, and it pays off with immediate gratification.
To the cashier at the grocery store, tell her you appreciate how well she bagged your groceries.
To your co-worker, tell them you enjoy seeing them at work everyday.
To your neighbor, tell them their yard looks nice.
Hold a door open for someone, let someone go ahead of you in line, say thank you to the mailman, make a donation to your favorite charity.
Ask the quiet woman next to you at the coffee shop how her day is going.
Compliment, lift a finger, go out of your way, just say something nice and make someone feel noticed.
The minute you get that smile back at you, is a minute the problem at hand got a little bit smaller, and you feel more connected to the world.
Here's the scene-
Moses is standing at the top of a hill, war raging beneath him as the Israelites fight the Army of Amalek, hand raised up in the air holding his staff. The staff he calls the "Staff of God".
"Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset"
EX 17:12
I can't imagine the relief Moses felt when those extra hands gave him a place to rest his weary body and held his arms up for him. When they joined alongside him in the battle and stayed by his side until it was over and the victory was theirs.
In this act of kindness, and literal support, they saved themselves as well.
Take heart if you too, are tired of holding your arms up. Someone might read this today and decide to offer their strength, a seat, or maybe just lighten the load with an offer to carry your bags for you.
These smallest acts of kindness are exactly what changes hearts and minds, and help us all win the battle against isolation and loneliness.
See you at the coffee shop😉