A Little Help from a Friend (part 2)

I was getting ready for work the other morning carrying out the morning ritual of putting in my contacts. Now, I've worn contacts since junior high so putting them in is as fast and easy as taking a breath. I never need a mirror and can put them in or take them out any time and anywhere. Not long ago I had each contact in the wrong eye, so on the way to church Jimmy held one in the palm of his hand as I made the switch. Having only lost one or two over the years, my record is stellar.

This particular morning, however, threw me for a loop. With my right contact in place, I proceeded to take the left lens out of the case and place it on my left eye. I blinked only once before watching it descend as if in slow motion. About three quarters of the way down, just before landing on the wash cloth, it disappeared. Like an episode of the Twilight Zone, it vanished from sight.

After an awkward search with one good eye, I took out the remaining contact and donned my glasses. With both eyes working in tandem, I looked high, low, left, and right. I scanned with my eyes and felt with my hand, searching every inch of the crime scene. After several unsuccessful minutes, I decided it was time to risk disturbing the site by leaving to get the flashlight. Gently jostling my house coat as I looked for falling debris, I hunted down a flash light and returned with renewed hope.

Time was wasting and I needed to get ready for work. I scanned the bathroom like a forensic scientist high on caffeine, but found nothing. Absolutely nothing. A little ticked by this time, I pulled out two new contacts and stored away the good old one, which still had two week's life yet in it. Since I change out my contacts at the first of each month, pulling out new ones mid-month was bugging me something awful. I could feel my innards tighten so I gave myself a pep talk. "Ok now, don't get upset. After all these years I can't recall the last time I lost a contact. I have no idea what a single lens costs, but it isn't enough to ruin the day. I'm gonna let this go, move on, and not let it get the better of me." Coaching myself down the hall, I entered the bedroom to put on my make-up and get dressed for the day. I flicked on the light and waited for Jimmy to stir. I couldn't wait to tell him all that had transpired while he slept.

"Well this morning was a first" I said tossing out the bait that would enable me to vent this frustrating event. Emphasizing the outlandish odds of this happening to me, I pointed out to my sleepy one-man audience how seasoned a contact wearer I was and how long I'd worn modern eye wear. I described the forensic search and my witnessed to this mysterious vanishing and once satisfied the facts were out in the open, I sat down to put on my make-up. I felt like an attorney who had just blown away the jury, barely noticing Jimmy as he slipped out of the room. Returning some 60 seconds later with his right thumb up in the air, he sleepily announced, "Here ya go."

I thought he was joking. He had to be. After all, who carries a contact lens on their thumb? What a novice. He hadn't fooled me one iota. But then, as I leaned forward to humor him, I saw it. My little round blue-tinted escapee perched on his big ole thumb."Where did you find it!" I exclaimed. "On the top ledge of the door of the vanity. When you told me how you lost it, it was the first place that popped in my mind. When I went to look it was sitting right there, just as I envisioned." he said rather unimpressed. "But I looked there a million times, and with a flashlight no less. This is a miracle. Why in the world did God use your eyes instead of mine to find the silly thing?"

I still can't help but wonder why God used Jimmy to find what I had so intently searched for myself. Seems to me Jimmy was bothered for nothing and my efforts were wasted. But then again stranger things have happened when it comes to God's plan. Suffice it to say for some reason the Lord wanted someone to lend a helping hand, even though I could have easily found it myself.

This early morning experience reminds me of the importance of a little help from a friend. Sometime an encourager needs encouragement, a prayer warrior needs intercession, and the one who is always the strongest needs a little help themselves. As they say, what goes around comes around. Sometimes we are called to give, while others times we are called to receive. How especially important it is to know when God is calling us to receive, even when we feel capable of doing something ourselves. I think it's God's way of keeping us connected, humble, and a bit mystified all at the same time.

I wonder. Who needs your help today? On the flip side, who might God be sending your way to assist you in your time of need? Whether giving or receiving, God calls us all to love one another as He loves us. Pride holds no place in this call, only the humility and servanthood of Christ. As you go out this week look for the ways God has you to give or receive and then thank Him for the friend He's placed in your life. Friends are an invaluable jewel. Love them each with His everlasting love. Who knows, it just may improve your vision as it did mine!