From Where Does Your Help Come?

Some people are born helpers. Never shying away from a need, they have a gift for comforting, assisting, counseling, whatever the need may be. I had a great grandmother who was that type of lady. I have heard many stories of how she helped others.

Her name was Margaret and she learned to help others early, after losing her own mother and having to tend to the little ones younger than her while her daddy worked to support his large family. She married at seventeen, had my grandmother at eighteen, and was a farmer’s wife for decades. When her niece developed tuberculosis as a young teenager, Margaret had her brought to the farm where she tended to her for months by feeding her healthy, nourishing foods and making sure she got plenty of fresh air and sunshine. When her sister-in-law gave birth to little twins who did not survive, it was Margaret who washed and prepared them for burial, dressing them in little satin gowns she made herself. She loved music, playing violin and guitar by ear, never once having taken a music lesson. She was an excellent seamstress, teaching her girls to make their own flour sack dresses at an early age. She made her own butter and cottage cheese, walking with her children in tow to the country store to sell them to the grocer and make a little money to help her husband in supporting the family. When the gypsy travelers of the 1920’s wandered on to the farm, Margaret always found a little extra bread and vegetables to feed them and let them clean up at the creek that ran through the property. She was the lady down the road that anyone could go to for a helping hand.

The idea of helping one another started with God. He is the helper of all who ask of Him, and we are to follow His ways. When he despaired of his very life, David the Psalmist chose to look up instead of be downcast. He had served God long enough to know that He was always with him—watching, protecting:

I will raise my eyes to the mountains; From where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.  He will not allow your foot to slip; He who watches over you will not slumber.  Behold, He who watches over Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is your protector; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The sun will not beat down on you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time and forever. Psalm 121:1-8

We are never without help when we put our trust and hope in the One Who is always ready and knows exactly what we need. Sometimes He sends help through someone else, a kind soul like Margaret. Sometimes He does His work directly, and we know that it was God’s Hand—the sweetest kind of help. When you find yourself needing support, comfort, or aid, look up, and remember where your help comes from.