Help Wanted

You ever needed a SAFE haven? You ever longed for a REAL friendship. What about a CARING and COMPASSIANTE confidant, an UNDERSTANDING ear, or a STRONG shoulder. Simple some one to VALIDATE your feeling, LESSEN your load, BEAR you burden, CARRY your cares, and HANDLE your Hardships. Someone who desires to know you. No hidden agenda, motives, or any other sinister self indulging plan or plot, just someone who when they call your name it sounds different. Someone who contributes to your life rather than subtracts. Someone who looks to see the best in you rather than the worst. Someone to hold you, help you and keep hope alive in you. Someone who walks, watches and works with you. Someone who cares about you, is compassionate toward you and will be concerned about you.

I'm slipping deeper and deeper in this THING and there seems to be no one who can see beyond the smile, beyond the output, beyond the walk, beyond the preaching, teaching and praying. I can sense by now that some reading this has leaped on their religious high-horse and by now is wondering why a preacher, pastor and for that matter a child of God could ever feel this fragile, fractured and fickled. When Jesus approached the garden He was accompanied by his disciples and instructed them to watch with Him. He then took THREE and went a little further and then He himself went a little further. There come a time in everyones life when you need some friends to watch and wait with you. When life hits you the hardest and over and over and over again relentless attack one after another like a heavy weight fighter who is "out on his feet." Knock out but still on his feet trying to regain his balance and composer while the other fighter is bearing in for the knock out punch. One punch after another blood flowing and in the crowd some cheering other appalled waiting and praying for either the ref or the corner guy to stop the fight. How much more can he take, eyes swollen, you can't determined where blood is coming from the cut above the eyes or from his mouth from the beating the other fighter is giving him. Somebody stop the fight! Somebody have mercy! Somebody just throw in the towel. Nobody understands how in the world is this fighter continues taking blow after blow, hit after hit. It is no longer entertainment it is a brutal assault it become hard to watch. Where are those who care? Where are those who have ridden on his coat-tail? Where are those who have ate from his table? Where are those who have benefited the most? Where are those love one, family and friends that have been there in good times enjoying the fruits of his labor?

Jesus takes Peter, James and John to watch with Him only to come back to find them sleep. Sleep on the watch. Sleep on the job. When they should have been at their best. When Jesus needed them the most. They were so self absorbed that they missed their chance to minister to the Minister. They have become so accustomed to being on the receiving end that when they had a chance to give they failed.