The Good News of Not Being Fine
By Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
I guess I could blame it on my daughter. She put the idea in my head. It all started when I texted my two girls, asking them to pray because I was going to the doctor to have twenty-five staples removed from my hip. Both agreed to pray, and my younger daughter, who, as a counselor, knows the best methods for dealing with pain and stress, reminded me to take something to squeeze. Good idea, I thought.
There was just one problem. I didn’t have one of those squishy de-stressor balls. But now I was committed to squeezing, so I decided to make one. Searching my pantry for something soft, I found an old bag of mini-marshmallows. I quickly grabbed a few large handfuls and stuffed them in a snack-sized plastic bag, squeezed the air out, and sealed it. Voilá! DYI de-stress0r ball! I tucked my homemade squishy ball into my jacket pocket and headed out the door.
Unfortunately, I had not anticipated the X-ray tech’s request that I empty my pockets before my scan. I tried to quickly stuff my makeshift squishy ball behind my purse, but I’m pretty sure she saw it and is still wondering about the peculiar woman who carries around a snack-sized bag of mini-marshmallows.
How did I come to be this woman—a woman who frantically stuffs a bag of mini-marshmallows into her pocket before a doctor’s appointment? I think the problem started with “being fine.” Like many people recovering from crisis, when asked how I was doing, I’d say, “I’m fine.” When friends asked me how they could help, I’d say, “I’m fine.” But, like many people recovering from crisis, I was not, in fact, “fine.”
The wisdom of Ecclesiastes is that we are not at all fine when we are trying to walk alone. Two are better than one, and three are better than two. Another person can offer us a hand to squeeze when staples are being removed; two friends can accompany us to the divorce lawyer’s office; the whole church can work together to mow our lawn, clean our house, and pay our bills when our loved one is dying of cancer. As members of the body of Christ, we are called to bear the burdens of the weak and to be stronger together (Galatians 6:2).
Dear friend, let my mini-marshmallow tale be a lesson to you: don’t be fine when you’re not. Discover the peace and hope that come from asking for and receiving help. Let your burdens be borne by those called to carry them. One day, when you are “more fine,” you will know the joy of extending a helping hand to someone who needs to squeeze it.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, we confess, we are often not “fine” as we walk through this season. Thank You for sending physical hands to hold us and help us in our time of need. Give us the courage to ask for and receive help. In Your kind name, we pray, Amen.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.