No one wants to feel utterly helpless.
It is human nature to want to feel as if we are in control of our lives . . . but sometimes things happen that are beyond our control.
Do you remember a time when you felt absolutely helpless?
What did you do about it?
What was your “gut reaction?”
Two and a half years ago Scott and I were in Tennessee for his work function and luckily we caught an early flight home. We were looking forward to a nice evening at home with Layne because we knew these evenings were coming to an end since she was in the spring semester of her senior year! We were approximately halfway home when we got a phone call from her telling us she had been in a car accident on Hwy. 150.
I could tell by the look on Scott’s face the call was serious. Her car was totaled. A man had fallen asleep at the wheel and hit her head on, airbags deployed, and she had briefly lost consciousness upon impact. The EMS wanted to take her to the hospital but she refused to go and wanted to wait until we got there. EMS insisted they talk to us on the phone before a decision was made.
We all agreed it would be ok until we got there, then we’d make a decision.
She was terrified but holding it together . . .
Scott and I turned on Hwy. 150 in Sherrill’s Ford. Then we realized the problem . . . we were not going to be able to get close to her because of the accident traffic. Finally, we parked on the side of the road and began to walk (I called it run).
It was winter . . . my shoes were not the best fit for side road running . . . nor was my body/air/lung capacity. But – I knew I needed to try to keep up with Scott, so I gave it my best shot.
In those moments when my body just would not cooperate with my heart and mind and I could not get to her . . . I felt totally and utterly helpless.
All I could do in those moments was pray.
Pray that she was ok . . . pray that she would not feel alone . . . pray that she would feel peace . . . and pray for the others involved in the accident because apparently, it was more than just her and the other man.
When Jesus was sharing the message about being poor in spirit, he wanted the listeners to understand that in order to be able to live into the Kingdom of God they HAD to realize their own utter helplessness without God. They needed to learn to trust and obey.
Sometimes it takes us being in a situation that we are truly physically helpless to remember to turn to God.
What if we do that before we face those traumatic situations?
What if we start asking God now how we can surrender ourselves to God so that we can not rely on our own power but instead claim the power of being poor in spirit?
How might life be different if we claim the promise of pure peace and bliss of being helpless?
“Oh, the bliss of those who have realized their own utter helplessness, and who have put their whole trust in God, for then alone can they give to God the perfect obedience which will make them citizens of the kingdom of heaven.”