Encountering an extraordinary God in ordinary life
Issue # 262 September 16, 2001
To the rescue

The man walking ahead of me on the path was big. He stood more than six foot five and easily weighed well over three hundred pounds.

He was dressed in a suit that I could only dream of affording. The car he had stepped out of was a top of the line luxury import.

Ahead of him by the lake shore was a shabbily dressed, three or four year old girl, feeding the ducks and geese. Her mother was some distance away, reading a book.

Suddenly the girl began to cry. A goose had come too close and had pulled on her shoelace. As the girl pulled to get away, she fell in the mud. She was terrified.

Without hesitation, the man walked over, knelt down beside her in the mud and helped her up. He tied her shoe, brushed her tears, and then walked on.

There was no need for him to help, the mother was close enough and was in fact headed for the daughter. He could have passed by.

He could have reached down to help her, but instead he knelt, lifted her up and retied her shoes.

He chose to rescue her. In the process, he got huge filthy stains on his expensive suit.

It didn’t matter, he simply did what needed to be done and carried on.

God is like that. We stumble around and fall in the mud of life. He kneels down, picks us up, ties our shoes, dries our tears, and sends us back on our way.

It boggles my mind. The creator the universe knows that we exist and cares enough to get involved.

He sent His Son to be born in the mud of a stable and live among people, rather than staying in heaven. That’s caring and compassion beyond description.

He cares about our tears and responds.

For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 116:8-8 NIV

Until next time, when you are in tears, or fear, or you have stumbled and fallen, call out for Him. He’s listening.

God bless.

Kevin