Reach out your hand....

Last week I sat outside of AWANA with my friend Joan lamenting the plight of Christian women.... putting everyone and everything before themselves. We talked about this fictional place flowing with milk and honey. This land where women take care of themselves at least a little.  For me, it is a BEAUTIFUL land where mom's get to go pee BY THEMSELVES!  Without an audience of little eyes and little voices wondering, "MOM, are you going poop?" ("Why no, thank you for asking. I was just silly enough to think I could pee in private!")

The irony of that delicious moment of grown-up talk being interrupted by a tearful phone call from Noah hiccupping, "Elijah's bleeding!"  was NOT lost on me!  I jumped from Joan's car and actually ran a little on the way in only to find Elijah lying in the hallway clutching his head and indeed bleeding. As I rushed out of the church propelling Elijah by the ice pack covering his head wound.... Joan stood there doing the only thing she could... shurgging her shoulders and shaking her head.  She said, "Should I take your other kids?" as I headed for the hospital.

Now do not worry. Elijah is fine (didn't even require stitches!) and I promse I am rapidly approaching the point of this bog!

It's my friend, Joan. See she didn't respond with condemnation, "If your darn kids weren't so crazy they wouldn't get hurt."  She didn't remind me I needed to take care of myself first, "Don't take him to the hospital until you've grabbed a coffee to calm your nerves." She offered to HELP. She just reached out her hand and offered to help.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people are ready and raring to go with judgement or lectures or condemnation instead of reaching out to be His hands... His feet. Lest you say, "She only offered to take your kids..." let me point out Joan has four kids of her own.... one of whom was at least an hour past bedtime and had been LOUDLY making us aware of that fact for about a half hour already.  Or if you want to argue, "Come on Jami, no one would really say those things to you when your child just split his head open."  I say to that, "Nay, Nay!  Do not believe that!"  One thing I learned through brain surgery and its consequent trials is people will and DO say the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times.

So I guess this blog is about stress... it is about number one accepting the fact that no matter how carefully you construct your perfect little life with its perfect little limits and its perfect little lists, sometimes life just HAPPENS.  The sooner you come to that conclusion the happier you will be. I used to have this misconceived notion that if I did everything just so that life would go right.  But through my struggles God has taught me that even when I do everything right (which RARELY ever happens) something can still go wrong...

Finally this blog is about Joan... a GREAT friend... who did just what I needed that night... she offered help without looking down her nose at me.  Today I'm going to purpose to remember Joan when I see someone else in trouble.  I'm not going to even THINK the judgement thoughts.  I'm not going to even THINK the lecture in my head.  I'm just going to reach out my hand and offer to HELP.