The story is told of a young man who began to dig a hole. For no apparent reason that anyone could figure out he was just determined that he was going to dig a hole. He dug for days and as people passed him, they asked him, “What are you doing? Why are you digging this hole?” He just replied in frustration and anger and said, “Listen…I know what I’m doing!!!” Day after day he continued to dig, until the hole was so deep around him, that he could no longer climb out.
Now he is stuck. He is stuck in hole that he dug for himself.
As he realizes his hopeless state, he humbles himself and cries out for help. “Somebody please help me!!! Help!!! Help!!!”
Imagine now that you are one of those people that passed him every day and tried to warn him about the eventual dilemma that he would face if he continued with carrying out his mission to dig that hole. Would you scold him? Would you ask him how he eventually got stuck in that hole or would you reach out your hand without passing judgment to help him at the time when he needed it most?
Galatians 6:1-5 speaks to this situation:
1 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. 2 Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. 3 If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. 4 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. 5 Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. (The Message Bible)
What is the cost of your help? Does your help come with self- righteous/demeaning criticism or life giving encouragement? When people are hurting or find themselves in a seemingly “hopeless hole” the last thing that they need is to be broken down even more. They need LOVE. Love doesn’t mean that we encourage others to continue to do the wrong thing, just to say that we support them. Love reaches out a hand to the fallen and offers to share their burden and partner with them as they walk the path of restoration and redemption.
We must also remember that we are not called to pull everybody out of their pits. Sometimes our friends and family need to stay in the pit until they realize that they need God, are called for a higher state of living and are willing to come out of their darkness and into the light of the Love of God. Too many times we waste our time, talent and treasure trying to help those who just want to get out of a situation without addressing the reasons and choices that they made that resulted in the situation. That is like helping that guy out of the hole, just so that he can begin to dig a bigger one right next to it. We aren’t helping…we are hindering God’s work.
We all need help and we all need to be willing to help others…without passing judgment and without a sense of self-righteousness. If not for the grace of God, we would be the one’s crying out from our self-made “holes of life”, so let us all be sensitive to the struggles of others and ask for wisdom and love to be the guiding forces that lead us to help those that are crying out.
Who is crying out for your help today?
Be Blessed,
B
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