While at the Gatlinburg Christmas parade a couple weekends ago, there was a boy playing a horn in the marching band. He wasn’t marching on his own, but was being pushed in his wheelchair as he played. He was on the opposite side of the street from us, but I felt so compelled to take his picture as I watched the parade go by…all the while I was thinking to myself, “what a picture of determination by the young man in the wheelchair, but also one of camaraderie by his peer. I’m not sure if the person pushing the wheelchair actually played an instrument when he wasn’t doing the pushing, but it did get me thinking…
How often are we quick to stop tooting our own horn, long enough to allow someone else to shine? Do we encourage others…lift them up…or are we constantly looking for the next moment to leave them knocked down…”sitting”…because we are so focused on our own music…our own march? This world has a “ME” mentality. If something doesn’t benefit us or ours, we don’t have time for it. We usually expect someone else to push our neighbor up from the valley, but God may be calling us to get behind them and do the pushing! God wants us to be sensitive to the needs of those around us each day. Look for a reason to help someone today. Jesus isn’t just a Savior…He was a helper while he walked the earth…He was a miracle worker in the lives of many. You can be a miracle to someone, too. Don’t miss an opportunity to encourage those you come in contact with today. You may be their miracle.
Even better, the parade is actually named, “The Gatlinburg Festival of Lights Parade.” I went to the parade expecting a show. I didn’t expect a reminder from God to be the light to others through a high school marching band. Sometimes God speaks through a whisper that’s hard to discern, and then other times He likes to clang cymbals, blow the trumpet and precisely march a message into your heart that allows your soul to dance to the beat. When we look for ways to be Jesus to others, self is okay with taking place in the back. It’s not about how great we march, because we are going to misstep from time to time…it’s that our hearts are always marching toward honoring Him.
Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”