As I visited a patient in the hospital, I was struck by the actions of a young doctor standing with a team of other inexperienced physicians. The group listened as a more seasoned doctor explained about the patient’s health. Suddenly, the patient anxiously announced that she needed to use the bathroom and couldn’t get up. In fact, she couldn’t wait for a nurse’s aide to be summoned to the room.

Amid the frantic scene, the young doctor got a bed pan off the shelf and assisted the patient. When the nurse’s aide arrived, she was shocked to find someone had already assisted the patient. The lead physician proudly acknowledged the assistance of the young doctor.

Jesus didn’t cling to His divinity and refuse to assist humanity. Though He was “in very nature God, [He] did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage” (Philippians 2:6). As a human, Christ was able to become our sin offering and sacrifice Himself for us. He saw our need for help and salvation, and He humbly laid down His life (v. 8). Paul wrote, “He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (v. 7).

We’re called to imitate Jesus’ attitude and sacrificial ways in our relationships with others. As He helps us, let’s humbly serve them no matter how lowly the job may seem.

Thirty years ago, I participated in an activity at an unemployment workshop that I still remember today. My fellow laid-off co-workers and I were asked to write our retirement speeches. Huh? We were looking for work and far from retirement age. But the facilitator revealed the purpose of the activity by saying, “Your speech will probably have little to do with your work.” She explained to us that a job really isn’t the center of our lives. And while we may be grieving the loss of a job, our lives mean much more than being employed.

The words about the end of Abraham’s life remind me of this lesson. He died at a “good old age” and had lived a “long and satisfying life” (Genesis 25:8 nlt). Throughout Scripture, we read about Abraham’s faithfulness in following God’s instructions, but we don’t read much about his work. The faith the patriarch displayed (15:6) reminds me of the Teacher’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes: “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness” (2:26). The Teacher said this after considering the meaning of life and how one can find enjoyment in the midst of work or toil (vv. 24-25).

Even during times of loss and anxiety brought by unemployment, it’s helpful to reflect on Abraham’s example and the Teacher’s words—pointing us to true satisfaction found only in God.

Attending a conference, a woman noticed that her friend—the day’s presenter—didn’t look well. She approached the presenter, who replied, “I’m going to get through this presentation. If I don’t feel better in the morning, I’ll go to the doctor.” The woman didn’t forget about the presenter’s promise. And although she had to leave the conference early, she asked another friend to check on her.

In the morning, there was a knock at the presenter’s hotel door. The second friend had come to drive her to the hospital. There was no backing out and—fortunately—she was given life-saving treatments in time. The persistence of friends apparently helped to save her life.

Persistent friends can be a blessing, just like the men in Mark 2. They’d apparently heard about the healing power of Jesus and that He’d come to their town (v. 1). The people clamored to Christ and there was “no room left” for the men to get their paralyzed friend to Him (v. 2). They didn’t let a crowd stop them from getting their friend the help he needed, however: “They made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered . . . the man” (v. 4) to Christ who healed him (vv. 11-12).

Let’s bring the needs of others to Jesus through persistent prayer. And as He provides what we need, let’s strive to help and love them well.

My coworker made a quick call to discuss an issue. She asked how I was doing, and I admitted that I had a really bad headache. I had a painful sinus infection, and the medicine wasn’t working. My coworker simply asked, “May I pray for you?” After I agreed, she offered a thirty-second prayer to God for my healing. I admitted, “Sometimes I forget to pray. I was so focused on the pain, I didn’t turn to God.”

My confession made me think about where I place my focus—on my struggles and problems or on God. On this day, my thoughts centered on the pain because of its intensity. But Isaiah 26:3 reminds us that when we keep our minds focused on God, our healer and sustainer, we can find peace: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” While the pain may not go away instantly, or perhaps ever in this life, the prophet reminds us to place our “trust in” the one who is faithful and able to provide what we need (v. 4).

This passage from Isaiah pointed the Israelites to God’s promises during and after their exile. They would sing songs of praise to Him again as they clung to their faith and hope in what He would provide (vv. 1-2). And the prophet’s words also remind us that whatever pain we may endure, we too can find comfort as we focus on trusting in God and calling out to Him.

In the midst of colorful creations made from old plastic bottles cut to resemble feathers and even lampshades, a tour guide at the New Orleans museum shared the thinking behind the use of such material. “For a city that’s had such hardship, we’ve also learned to use what we have to create joy and beauty. We don’t focus only on the hard times; we celebrate the resilience.”

Nehemiah and the Israelites also faced hardship but resiliently pressed on in God’s joy. They’d been captured and taken away from their home, and at last were able to return to Jerusalem from exile (Nehemiah 4:7-12). But upon arriving, they still faced opposition to rebuild the wall that protected Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6). Even after the wall was completed and they gathered for a celebration, hearing the words of God’s law, their spirits were heavy. They were “weeping as they listened” (8:9). But Nehemiah reminded them that they could find joy and strength in God—remembering who He was and what He’d brought them through. Nehemiah told them, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (v. 10).

Focusing on God can give us joy and strength too, especially when our circumstances seem dire. God’s ability, character, and the Scriptures can renew our minds and bring us joy (v. 12)—providing the strength and resilience we need.

One Thanksgiving I called home to greet my parents. As we talked, I asked my mom what she was most grateful for. She exclaimed that she was most grateful that “all three of my children know how to call on the name of the Lord.” For my mother, who’d always emphasized the importance of education, there was something more valuable than her children doing well in school and taking care of themselves.

Her sentiments remind me of Proverbs 22:6: “Start children off on the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it.” While this isn’t a promise, and many children do wander from God for a least a season of life, she and my father had strived to raise us to humbly, reverently love God (v. 4)—primarily through example. Now, by His grace, they were able to see us grow older and benefit from a personal relationship with Him. As verse two says, God is “the Maker of . . . all.” And although some children will respond to loving instruction in Christ, others might take longer to perhaps hear His voice. For those precious children, we continue to pray and rest in God’s timing.

Mom’s humble thanksgiving points to what’s most important in life. Reverently loving God yields spiritual riches for this life and beyond (v. 4). And while we can’t control what children will choose do, we can rest in the hope that God will lovingly continue to work in their hearts.

“No matter where you are, what you’re going through; use what you have and make the most of it,” said the young woman in a TV interview. Her words prompted me to listen carefully to the full story. I learned that she was one of six sisters working toward nursing degrees. They were once homeless and struggling. Yet they worked together to reach their common goal. And at the time the story aired, all six sisters were completing the nursing program at a local university.

Numbers 27 tells the story of another group of sisters who worked together and supported each other. The five daughters of Zelophehad challenged a law about inheritance. They gathered together and stood before Moses to plead their case, saying, “Our father died . . . for his own sin and left no sons. . . . Give us property among our father’s relatives” (vv. 3-4). God answered with this revolutionary statement: “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance” (v. 7).

The five sisters came together and sought God’s mercy as they stood before Moses. And God provided what they needed as they banded together before Him.

Working together isn’t always easy as believers in Jesus. But as we seek God’s wisdom and direction with humility, we’ll find He can help us serve well together in Christ.

I walked to the airline kiosk to check in using the confirmation number stored in my cell phone. But my phone was missing! I’d left it behind in the car that had dropped me off. So how could I contact the ride-hailing driver who’d dropped me off?

As I scrambled to connect my laptop to the airport’s Wi-Fi, I worried it was too late. Utilizing an app, my husband noticed my phone wasn’t with me at the airport and had already sent me an email—waiting for me as soon as I connected to the Wi-Fi. His email said: “Send me the car service’s number and I’ll take care of it.” My husband had jumped in to take care of things—giving me an immediate sense of peace.

This is part of the peace I believe God wants us to enjoy in the relationship we can experience with Him through Christ. First Peter 5:7 reminds us to “cast all [our] anxiety on him because he cares for [us].” This verse says that God wants to take on our worries and concerns. Why? Because He cares that much for us. We can give our cares to God rather than allowing them to swim around in our heads as we try to figure things out.

Casting our anxiety on God is a form of humility that acknowledges that He’s much more capable of handling our concerns than we are (v. 6). Although something may pop up to cause us to suffer (v. 10), we can rest in His care and provision.

As I drove down the steep ramp into the parking lot, anxiety swept over me. I’d been in this exact place before—and I’d gotten lost that time. But now, as I began to walk to the door near the elevator, a calm feeling filled my heart. I knew the way! I walked through the door and found the set of elevators I was seeking and soon was where I was supposed to be.

My experience in finding my way through the maze of that parking structure reminds me that getting lost can sometimes help us find our way. Because I got lost during my first visit, I recalled what had gone wrong and remembered the door that led to my destination.

There’s great joy in finding our way—something the “lost son” in today’s parable found to be true (Luke 15:24). “When he finally came to his senses” (v. 17 nlt), the wayward young man knew his way back home after having been lost in the world. He recognized all he had left behind and returned home where he received his father’s “love and compassion” (v. 20 nlt). The story says the father was overjoyed to receive his lost son and welcome him back, saying, “This son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found” (v. 24 nlt).

If we’re lost spiritually, let’s look for the familiar way home God has provided. He points us toward His loving light and to where we’re supposed to be.

My dear friend Sally wanted to give a birthday party for one of her friends. She knew her friend had been experiencing a tough time, and Sally desired to help lift her spirits. However, Sally was unemployed and didn’t have extra money to purchase food for a nice party. So, she looked in her refrigerator and cabinets to see what was available. She then created a nice spread consisting of many items she’d previously purchased and had in her home.

When Sally shared with me the creative menu she came up with, I thought about the story of Elijah and the widow (1 Kings 17:7-16). The widow didn’t have much. In fact, she told the prophet Elijah that she was preparing her final scraps of food for herself and her son “and [then] die” of starvation (v. 12). And she only had a small amount of flour and olive oil, just enough for their final meal.

But Elijah ensured the woman that her “jar of flour . . . the jug of oil [would] not run dry” until God sent rain again (v. 14). By trusting in what God revealed through Elijah—even though she didn’t think she had enough—the woman found that God provided what she needed even though her kitchen was barren.

Just like my friend, the widow found what she needed. Following their examples, let’s live generously and rest in God’s provision for us.