Helping people out

A spiritual look at issues of interest to young people

These days you hear a lot about kids who need help. Maybe a girl is sick or discouraged. Maybe a boy is afraid or always makes mistakes in math. You know - sometimes kids act mean or get in trouble because they're hurting inside. They may not know how much God loves them.

Can you help? Yes, if you really want to.

If you want to help someone and don't quite know how to do it, you can always ask God to show you how. If you're willing to help, God will use you. He will show you what to think, what to say, and what to do.

You could offer to pray for a friend. Then you can tell your friend something you know about God that will help your friend feel better. And then you can pray quietly.

You can think how God, your Mother and Father, always loves and takes care of Her children. How each of us is always with God, loved and safe. How He wouldn't let anything hurt anyone. You'll think of other things to pray about, too, I'm sure.

There's a Bible story about a young girl who did a really wonderful thing. The story is mostly about a great army captain named Naaman (see II Kings, chap. 5). He had leprosy, a disease that no one could cure. The girl we're talking about had been captured and brought to Syria as a slave. She was a servant to Naaman's wife. She must have known there is one God. (Lots of people back then worshiped many gods and idols and things like that.)

One day she told Naaman's wife about a prophet in Israel named Elisha, who she was sure could cure Naaman. (A prophet is someone who knows God. He or she can see what God is knowing and is doing. He or she isn't fooled into believing what seems to be true according to what the eyes and ears report.)

So Naaman went off with his horses and chariot to Elisha's door. But Elisha, didn't even come out. Instead he just sent a message to Naaman that his disease would be healed if he went and washed in a certain river.

Well, Naaman was really mad. His pride was hurt. He thought Elisha should have at least come out to see him. And he wanted to decide what river to wash in. So he left Elisha's house.

Well, that's when his servants told him, "We know you would have done a great thing if Elisha had asked you. So why not do this little thing, wash and be clean?" And Naaman went ahead and did what he was told. And he was healed. His leprosy was cured. Naaman went back to see Elisha and told him that now he was sure that the one God was the only God.

That was a brave thing that girl did. She wasn't afraid for herself, afraid that maybe no one would believe her. She wasn't afraid that maybe God wouldn't or couldn't heal Naaman. She didn't think, "That's not my problem. I'm not going to get involved."

She must have known the one God, too. She must have had faith and trust in God. Maybe she had been healed herself, or knew someone who'd been healed, by praying to God. Anyway, when she saw someone who needed healing, she wanted to help. She shared what she knew about God.

Could a boy have done that same thing? Of course.

If you see someone who needs help, you might just say to yourself, "God really loves Billy (or Anna, or Jeremy). God is a perfect Father-Mother and is taking care of everything for everyone. God is always saying, 'I love you and I will take care of you,' and everyone can hear God's voice and feel His love."

There are lots of ways you can pray.

The rich in spirit

help the poor in one

grand brotherhood,

all having the same

Principle, or Father;

and blessed is that man

who seeth his brother's

need and supplieth it,

seeking his own in

another's good.

Mary Baker Eddy

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society