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Let Me Help You With That
Posted by
John Bechtel
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15 April 2010
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914 views
Growing older is turning out to have all kinds of clear lessons I have really not seen along the way. I learned one tonight. I went to dinner in a swanky clubhouse on Singer Island in Florida with the grandson of the man who invented the car radio. As we got up to leave, the gentleman next to me asked me if he could help me up. For goodness sakes, I do NOT need help getting out a chair yet, but the look of expectation on his face was such that I let him help me. What a thoughtful act on the part of a man who ‘thought’ I needed help.
This happens with old age. I remembered my precious son and the time he wanted to ‘help’ me paint the wall in the mission residence in Hong Kong. Believe me, at that age in my life, I did not need his help. I could have done it without him and certainly quicker and much more beautiful had I done it myself. Then I saw the look in his eyes, and I knew I had an assistant, like it or not.
He had NO idea how to paint, so I explained the process and changed him into clothing I knew was expendable for which I would not have to answer to his mother.
The paint was bright and looked great on his clothing, the floor, his hands, feet, face, hair, and everywhere but the wall. We were having the time of our lives painting together, need him or not.
I can still see the smile on his face when he had drowned his small section and I had finished half the wall. I reached down and cleaned up the part he had painted, and soon we were done. Paint everywhere but not to worry, we were partners and my steady hand had seen him through the biggest and only painting job in his life. We were partners in the task and he really thought that we were equal partnersand he had actually painted his share of the wall.
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it” Matt 28:20.
The lesson hit home tonight after a fantastic dinner. I have been involved in the harvest field all of my adult life, and I have learned one lesson. The Lord painted the wall. “The Lord worked with me!” Sometimes I thought I was an equal partner just like my son had felt. The times I failed were because I tried to paint the wall without His involvement. I often thought He needed me. I even had arrogant thoughts that it would all fall apart without my genius leadership.
Here it is in one sentence. Go out and preach everywhere and the Lord will work with you and confirm your work. To do otherwise is to fail.
Yes, you will get paint all over yourself, the surroundings and everything except the target, BUT the Master Painter cleans it all up because you made the effort, and He helped and confirmed your labors.
When you say, “Let me give you a hand Lord,” remember Who is really doing the work! It ain’t you. jb
