We start a new year with thoughts of looking forward, by setting goals for new adventures with the hope that we’ll be able to reach them. Within a few hours all of that can change. Our positive outlook for the future will be swallowed up by circumstances that we can’t control or change. Looking back at the past can lead to answers by directing us to the lessons we learned from bygone events. Living in the moment seems to be a popular point of view in today’s world, but by doing so, we also get stuck in another mucky situation. The best place to look forward is to look up to the One who created this world with His amazing grace. By doing so, we’re letting God do what He has already planned for our good.

Lately, much of my time has been spent going to doctor appointments. Over the past couple of years, I had been doing a lot of that. During those times, I observed the comings and goings of people – sick, well, hearty and sometimes close to death. On some of those occasions I would wait in the car as my husband attended to a short appointment, I witnessed an elderly couple enter the building. He was confused. Each step was deliberate, yet unsure. He stopped outside the door to look at a winter flower arrangement that seemed to call out to him. He fixed what was bothering him and she guided him on. Through that interlude I could see a couple who cared deeply for each other. One a caretaker, the other the one needing care. Patience was evident. Love and compassion were obvious.

There was a woman with pure, white hair and skin almost the same color. She didn’t look very old, but her face said that she had been through a lot. She walked with a quick step as she searched with her eyes for her car. For a moment looking lost but eventually found. A man about 6’4 with a thick beard, steadily entered the building confidently. He carried a briefcase. Maybe a doctor or salesman. A woman who had most likely endured chemotherapy, boldly entered with her head uncovered, revealing a beautifully balding head. She apparently had a positive attitude.

OK, so what’s my point? Am I becoming a voyeur in my old age? I am a people watcher and have been for a very long time. As a writer, I try to observe as much as I can about the human race. As a performer, I’ve learned that this is a great way to develop a character. We serve a purpose in this life. How we behave will have some effect on those around us. Everyone has a story. We may never discover what that story includes, but by reaching out, understanding and being compassionate, we may be able to help those individuals in some way – or they may be able to help us. Jesus was a perfect example for us to follow. He could see into the minds and hearts of individuals and know what they needed. We don’t have that ability, but we can still love, understand, have compassion for and help others, because He showed us how to do it.

When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY OF GRACE – A TIME TO SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH OTHERS – A TIME TO SERVE YOU.