Articles
Help
When Codie was four months old, he awoke crying early one morning with a fever of 105 degrees. Jody and I had no idea what to do. Our doctor was in Denton and we were in Ft. Worth. So Jody called her mom and asked what we should do. She said to soak him in a tub of lukewarm water. We soaked him in lukewarm water and wrapped him in lukewarm wet towels. Eventually we got the fever to come down a little. By this time it was daylight, and we called the doctor. When we finally got Codie to the doctor we discovered he had an ear infection. Ear infections were to become common with Codie during his first few years of life. As a baby he was so helpless. He did not feel well. As young parents we did not know what to do or how to handle what was happening. We were scared, too. However, hard experiences teach us many valuable lessons. Allow me to suggest a few spiritual lessons from such an experience:
First, Jesus said, “Unless you become like little children you shall not enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus wants us to come to him helpless. We do not come to Christ telling Him what to do for us. We come to Him with the cry of, “O wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24) He will not accept the proud (1 Pet. 5:7). Jesus accepts the poor in spirit (Mt. 5:3). He wants those who need Him and His help.
Another lesson we learned was that, as parents, we had to be accessible no matter what time of the night. As children of God we have access to Him any time we need Him (Eph. 2:18). We can call on Him any time, day or night, for help. But only those who are in deep distress call upon Him. Only those who are ready to listen to what He has to say will call. Prayer is such a powerful tool for the Christian. The word of God that teaches us about God also teaches us that He wants to grant our requests (1 Jn. 5:15). By praying to Him we can share our cares, fears, and dilemmas of life. We can cry “help” when we need Him.
Further, we can see that it is important not be afraid to ask for help. When the crisis comes we should seek the advice of those who have been where we are. Seek the best possible advice at the time. There was no doubt as young parents we knew where to go for help and advice. We had never been there before. We didn’t know what to do, but we did know where to turn. Similarly, seek out faithful brethren for good advice about life. Seek brethren who are wise and do not mind sharing their experiences in life. They are a great asset. Associate yourself with brethren who can lift you up and advise how to miss the stumbling blocks. Faithful brethren are a great blessing and a rich resource. I think that is why Paul told Titus about the older men and older women teaching the young men and younger women (Tit. 2:2-8). Paul knew we would need help from each other. It is so comforting to have others to help us carry our burdens (Gal. 6:2).
As a result of this experience we recognized quickly where we were vulnerable. Everything turned out okay. Codie didn’t have to have tubes put in his ears, though they were threatened. He overcame the infection. He has grown up and so have we, somewhat. But it was a valuable lesson to young parents. Today, we can go to God our Father. He is our ally (Rom. 8:31-39). We can go to His word and to our brethren who love us with an unfeigned love fervently (1 Pet. 1:22).
