by Sabrina Stillwell
Music has always touched me. I find God gives me inspiration in all kinds of different ways including rock songs on the radio…music that isn’t usually considered inspirational or religious.
Right now, I’m loving The Fray’s, “How to save a life.” Not only do I love the music, but the line “I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life” plays over and over in my head.
Every time I hear this song it makes me think of the Virginia Tech tragedy and other similar tragic situations. There’s been a lot of talk and analysis profiling the perpetrators of these kinds of crimes, and what I’ve noticed is that there’s an underlying loneliness among them-a feeling of alienation and being separated from others.
I’ve asked myself what can I do if I notice someone in need. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do when you see someone struggling, whether they’re depressed or acting self-destructively or threatening to hurt someone else. The thought may come to us that “I don’t have the resources or energy to help” or maybe “It’s too late for them, or they wouldn’t want me to intrude in on their privacy.” This line of thinking says it’s not worth it to try to help someone else. But it is. We can, in so many ways, large and small, give encouragement, care, and love to someone struggling. And one person can be enough.
Jesus gives a great example of just one person caring in the parable of The Good Samaritan. A man was beaten and robbed by thieves and left for dead on a path between two cities. Two other men from his own country passed by and, maybe for the same reasons I mentioned above, didn’t help. But then a foreigner came by, gathered him up, took care of his wounds, and helped the man recuperate by paying for his care at a local inn.
This parable and the idea in The Fray’s song show me how important each one of us is, to others around us, whether we know it or not. While we can’t meet another’s every need, (and we shouldn’t try to), we can give care and love, in many different ways. Reaching out is manifesting the love God has for us.
So, where do we start? I make my first step of action prayer. I’ve learned from Christian Science that each of us is a unique and precious child of God, the One Parent, who is our Father and Mother. Every one of us is cherished beyond measure and deeply loved by God.
And when I’m lonely, or feeling isolated or alienated? I’m starting to understand that that’s really an ignorance of my relationship to God, as Her beloved child.
When Jesus was asked what the “great commandment” was, he answered “love God and your neighbor as yourself;” and to me, that says it’s all about relationship-relationship with the Creator and the creation-all of us and the universe. And really that relationship is so unbreakable in its unity, that it’s “Oneness.” There is no “other” or “outside” of that love relationship. We are never outside of God’s infinite, unconditional, all-embracing Love.
Through prayer and the study of Christian Science, I’m seeing that nothing can block the communication of love from God to us. We are connected to each other through God. And when we’re a witness to someone’s else’s struggle, we can pray to see that unbreakable relationship for ourselves, for them, and for everyone else on the planet. Through that kind of prayer I’ve been given ideas that have helped lift someone’s spirits, and shown them how loved and valued they are. I do see a need to get past the psychological analysis and theories, to the deeper need-the deeper desire to feel loved, understood, valued, and needed.
So what can we do to save a life? Lots. We can start by loving and letting ourselves be loved! Each of us is equipped with the understanding of “how to save a life.” And that is God’s eternal ever-unfolding purpose for us.
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Wow great article - totally inspiring and helpful. Thanks for a refreshing eye-opener
Just beautiful. Let’s stay up all night(be awake in our consciousness) to embrace those who are literally up all night looking for answers. May darkness surrounding them be filled with light- the light that comes directly from our divine Parent, Love. Thank you Sabrina! much love. . .
thank you. just a reminder to anyone who stays up all night that they are not alone.
I think it’s great that you’ve posted this. I saw a show on tv that taped people arguing on the streets of a big city. It was a fake argument, but only 3 women approached to see if they could help. I think we need to be better prepared to help others because we want help, don’t we?
Thank you Sabrina
A beautiful reminder that we should always be prepared to be there for someone in need. Knowing who we are as God’s loved child and knowing that for all…to ease distress in a caring and loving way.
Can you tell me of a time that you helped someone who seemed helpless?
We have a woman who visited our church to see what was there. She’s a lovely intelligent woman who has been diagnosed with a mental illness — which has stopped her from working full time. She initially meet me along with some other church members, but seemed to be drawn to me because I laugh a lot. We have formed a friendship and I’ve tried to help her in many ways — spiritually and humanly. and I have seen her severly depressed and really struggling. I think initially she came for friendship, and she now is getting so much more. She wanted to know why I was so happy. She has seen something in CS that she likes. We have talked about God and her relationship to God — how she is the beloved and adored daughter. We talk about healing the past, all the mistakes and hurts she has experienced — which seem to have a strong hold on her. I have prayed with her on many occasions about physical problems and emotional ones. She’s now reading through Science and Health, and getting snippets of truth. I hear her now in our conversations going over negative stuff, but then catching herself and then stating the truth she’s learning in Christian Science. Our church has loved her unconditionally, which I know she feels. We have included her in our church family and she’s learning a lot. I think at the beginning she felt there was no hope for her, but I think that she sees there’s hope and love enough for her too. She’s not completely healed yet, but she is learing so much and I have helped her when she was struggling. Compassion drove me not to “pass by on the other side.” She’s making progress and is trying to see herself unchained from mental illness.
Thanks, Sabrina! What a lovely and “real-world” view. An inspiring article and I’m grateful for the pointing toward some more inspiring music!
I noticed on the iTunes store there was a review of the song “How to Save a life” from soldier who came back from Iraq and found the song to be very helpful and inspiring, too.