I Need Help

She walked by the bathroom door and thought she heard a muffled sob.

“Is everything okay?” she asked through the closed door.

“I need help.”

She pushed open the door and saw him sitting there; elbows on knees, face in hands.  Weeping.

She didn’t have to ask why.  Quickly turning on the shower, she rolled up sleeves and began to prepare him to get in the water.  There was a stool for him to sit on in the tub - if she could bear his weight for the few steps it would take to get him there.

The running water would also muffle the sobs, weak though they were, so the kids wouldn’t ask questions.

“I’m so sorry” he kept saying in between tears.  So quiet, so weak, she could barely understand.  She assured him there was nothing to apologize for. 

After getting him situated, she checked water temperature and closed the curtain so the water could do its work, washing him clean.  Everything down that drain.

The curtain closed in time to hide her own tears. She began cleaning floor, cleaning walls, cleaning sink.  And for the first time since the very first day of this ordeal, she was mad.

“Why????”  she yelled silently, with clenched jaw.  “He lost his hair, he lost his strength, he lost the light of life in his eyes.  Does he have to have his dignity taken too?”

She wasn’t mad at God, because she knew with all her heart He had a plan.  That is what kept her going.  She was furious at the situation.

She scrubbed and cried.  She scrubbed and cried hard.

Everything got cleaned up, never to be mentioned between them again.  Never acknowledged that it had ever even happened.

How many times has Jesus done that for us?  Put our dirty selves under the Water to be cleansed by Him.  Letting the waste of our lives swirl down the drain.

How many times has He cleaned up our messes and made us all squeaky clean and comfortable, ready to live again?

He hears our sobs when we don’t have the strength to clean ourselves, comes in and rolls up His sleeves and gets to work.  He takes off His outer garment, kneels and washes our feet where we have been soiled by the things of the world.

All because we said “I need help.”

And never mentions it again.

Eph. 5: 26-27    John 15:3   Heb. 8:12

Giving thanks with so many others at

So thankful for:

His cleansing Word,

Lessons from life stories,

Girls giggling on the merry-go-round during PE,

Clean kitchen sink, all shiny,

Hymns and Worship on Pandora,

Extra time for Bible study,

New light bulbs, and

BLESSINGS on the wall.

Father, You are faithful.  I know you are.