Encouragement Through our Presence
Prov 13:17 "A faithful ambassador brings healing." AMP
Last Thursday I had a tough day at work. Problems arose one
after another, and when I reached home I felt completely
exhausted (Had any days like that lately?) When I checked
the weather forecast it predicted heavy rain from Friday on
that was supposed to last throughout the weekend. I had no
choice but to cut my grass that day. As we live in the
country on 1 1/2 acres of land, we have a 48 inch tractor to
help perform this task. I generally love to cut the lawn,
but not today!
As I was preparing myself for the chore, a cheerful voice
called out excitedly: "Papa, papa, can I help you cut the
grass today?". My nine year old son was jumping up and down
with anticipation. For some reason this flooded me with
relief . I wouldn't have to do this task alone! So we headed
for our tractor. As I sat down, he joined me on my lap and
off we went to the adventure of our life.
Every time we came to an obstacle (a branch blown off from a
tree by the wind, toys that the dog chews up and spreads
around, fascinating objects from my kid's sandbox . . .
stuff like that!), my son eagerly jumped off my lap and
threw it out of our way. After awhile, I let him steer, only
helping him a little during the turns. Overall, instead of
the chore I had anticipated, this turned into a fun-filled
adventure.
Although the tractor, like any other machine of its kind,
makes a lot of noise, my son was eagerly chatting and
telling me all about his day. Though I couldn't understand
him most of the time, his cheerful presence filled my inner
being with joy and relief from the stress that had been
accumulating there. My spirits began to lift, and I actually
began to feel joyful!
When we came close to the willow tree we had planted 4 years
ago from a branch that had fallen on the ground, my
son wanted me to stop the tractor. He jumped off and hugged
the tree tenderly. He did the same with his favourite fruit
tree: his pear tree. It just looked so much like something I
might have done that it made me feel even better. My son and
I have so much in common!
Then I got stuck in mud. We were way out at the back of the
property, and no matter what we tried to do, the mud rose
higher and higher. It almost seemed like quick mud! As we
prayed, the solution to the problem came to us. My son
needed to steer the tractor (his body weight was finally
heavy enough to keep the tractor running), while I pushed
from the back of the tractor. We laughed and laughed as we
finally succeeded in getting ourselves free of that
murderous mud!
Then I realized that just like we had finally managed to
free that tractor, My son had succeeded in lifting me up
from the mire clay of work stress. By just being himself and
wanting to help his papa, he had brought me some needed
relief. As a result, the rest of the evening was filled with
inner peace. My son turned my stress-filled day into a
beautiful sunset filled with warm sunrays.
My friend, you can make this kind of an impact on the lives
of others as well. Just being there for someone may bring
much needed relief to the stress that person is going
through. In a world gone mad with stress-filled activities
and time being robbed with the many daily tasks we are
facing, you can make a difference in someone's life through
your presence.
Prov 13:17 "A faithful ambassador brings healing." AMP Being
an ambassador from God you will bring healing to the inner
turmoils of individuals, just by being there for them. Let
us learn from the exciting eagerness from a young one.
"Papa, papa, can I help you cut the grass today?"
Rob Chaffart