Psalm 147
I’m not going to print the entire Psalm because I would have no room left to write about it. In summary we are being told to sing praises to God because he is always there for us. I believe that he sometimes puts people in our lives to help us when we are struggling. I also believe that he throughout the Bible tells us to help people in need. Today I am going to share one of my favorite stories. Kyle’s friend is going to share the story.
One day as a freshman I was walking home from school and saw a kid and his name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all his books. I thought to myself, “why would anyone bring all their books home on Friday? He must really be a nerd.” I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of boys running toward him. They ran at him knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. He looked up and I saw a terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So I went over to him as he crawled around. I said, “those guys are a bunch of jerks.” He looked at me with a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped pick up his books and asked where he lived. As it turned out he lived near me. As we talked I realized he was a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play some football with me and my friends on Saturday. He said yes and we hung out the whole weekend. From then on we became friends and over the next four years Kyle and I became really good friends.
Kyle was valedictorian and was going to college on a football scholarship. He was going to give the graduation speech. On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. That day I could see that he was really nervous about the speech. I said, “Hey big guy, relax, you will do great!” He looked at me with one of those grateful looks and said, “Thanks!”
He started his speech with, “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you through the tough years. Your parents, teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give. I’m going to tell you a story. I just looked at my friend in disbelief as he told the story of the weekend we first met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He had cleaned out his locker so his mother wouldn’t have to do it later and he was carrying his books and stuff home. He looked at me and gave me a smile. Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unthinkable.
Not until that moment did I realize its depth. NEVER underestimate the powers of your actions. With one gesture you can change a person's life. For BETTER or FOR WORSE. God puts us in each other's lives to make good happen. Look for God in others.
Questions for Reflection:
- Think of a time you did something special for someone.
- How did it make you feel?
- Think of a time you did something not so good to someone
- How did it make you feel?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please help us to remember that we are here to help make your creation better. Also help us remember that things that seem little can be very big. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen
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