• Falling In A Hole

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    One day a guy was walking down the street and he fell into a huge hole. The walls are steep that he can't get out so he shouts for help. A doctor is passing by and hears him yelling, so he writes a prescription, throws it down the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes by and the guy yells at him "Father, I'm down in this hole, can you help me out?" The priest jots down a prayer, throws in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. The guy yells "Hey Joe, it's me down here, can you help me out?" The friend jumps into the hole and the guy says "Are you crazy? Now we're both stuck down here!" and the friend says "Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out."

    If you've ever been in a similar situation you know how life changing and powerful it is when someone willingly chooses to jump in the hole with you. Our holes in life take on different forms- job loss, depression, discouragement, sickness, relationship issues, grief, the list goes on and on. But no matter what the circumstances are there is no denying that somehow when you're not in it alone it doesn't seem quite as bad.

    As much as we appreciate the presence of other people when we are facing problems in life, you and I have the opportunity to be that person to someone else as well. Just think about what you've been through in your own life. Maybe your parents split up when you were young. Maybe you faced a time of illness. Maybe you've struggled at work or at school. Have you ever allowed yourself to think that God could use those experiences in your life not only to shape and change you, but also for you to help out someone else who's facing the same thing?

    Too often we put blinders on in life. We get distracted by our busyness and forget that there are people who have fallen in holes all around us who could use a helping hand. Whether that means showing someone the way out or just by their side so they know they are not alone.

    Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 teaches us,

    "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble."

    Let that be all of our mission- to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people God has placed in our lives, ready to help them if they fall and they in turn often will help us in the same way. Because life is hard, but it's all the more sweeter when you know you've got people in your life who have your back.

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