A Goal to Help
Charlie and I went up to the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas to go to the Little Missouri Falls. Our goal was to take some pictures for the photography club that we are in, and we accomplished that goal. After we were done looking at the falls, a man with a big number on his shirt approached Charlie and said that he was running a marathon and lost the trail. Nick was only twenty years old, alone, tired, and thirsty. So we gave him some water, a granola bar, and set off to find the start of the race. There was only sporadic cell service in that whole region, and so we had to drive around a lot to different places, but he was eventually able to use our phone to get in touch with his family. We ended up in Langley, Arkansas at a small gas station around 5:00 PM where we met the race director, and Nick was reunited with his wife and family. 
After we dropped Nick off, Charlie commented to me, “Dad, helping people is hard work,” and it is true. You never know what you are going to get into when you start helping someone else. It involves real sacrifice because you are giving yourself over to them fully and putting your interests behind their needs. Paul wrote: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Phil.2:3-4). Being a Christian is not something that we do on Sundays only, take up as a part-time hobby during the week, or only practice at home with our family. Being a Christian is something that takes place every moment of our lives as we render service to God in whatever situation we are in at that moment. God has blessed us greatly! May we be a blessing to others as we serve the Lord Jesus.