Opportunities

Hanna lives in coal country so she's been around miners a lot. Hanna and a friend were talking recently about the mines and the miners and a surprising fact came out.  Hanna said the most common cause of death among those coal miners was electrocution.  They live in a real remote area and the mining operation there is pretty old and relatively primitive.  So there are sometimes problems with the wiring in the mine, and miners actually get electrocuted.  What compounds the problems is that the nearest doctor is many miles away, which led Hanna to ask the doctor if there was anything the local folks could do to help while they're waiting for the doctor to arrive.  She was surprised by the doctor's answer.  "Well," he said, "there is one thing, hug the injured miner."  Well, obviously Hanna wanted to know why.  He said, "When people are about to go into shock, I think there is something about a hug, about human touch - about human tenderness.

Not all shocks are electrical are they? People around us are getting shocked every day by bad news they've just received, by bad treatment, by unexpected developments, by a death, or a failure, or by pain in a relationship.  And not all hugs are two arms around a person, although that kind of hug is great.  But a hug can be a word of encouragement, or an offer to help, a gift, a compliment, a place to rest and recover.  It's practical love when someone has really been hit hard. I am reminded of what we are told in

Galatains 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.  As we what? Have opportunity! Have you and I been looking for OPPORTUNITIES? To give somebody; anybody a word of encouragement or have you and I been so caught up in our own problems that we are not looking to give a kind word to anyone else. When we learn to get our mind off our problems and began to look for ways to encourage others we will soon find it is far better to encourage others and we will find that our problems will become less and less. Try it and see what will happen. Tell yourself, today I will look for and find at least one person to encourage. Take time and look for an opportunity a kind word, a pat on the back, a small touch, a listing ear and a caring heart; you will do fine now pray and ask God to give you that opportunity today.