Life from Here to There

Everywhere life takes us

Excuse me, do you have jumper cables?

“Do you have any jumper cables?”

Have you ever asked that question? Have you ever asked a stranger? Chances are, if you own a car, you can answer ‘yes’ to both questions. When you stop to think about it, that is a profound question. Stay with me here, and let’s take a quick second to break it down.

The facts.

If you are asking for jumper cables…

  • you are stranded.
  • you are in need of assistance.
  • you are worried.

You are stranded. Maybe you managed to coast your vehicle into the parking lot of some store and are now parked awkwardly in a spot. Oops, you left your lights on just 6 hours too long. Perhaps your car died in the middle of the road as others scream past you. There are a hundred different scenarios in which you may have found yourself, but the point is you cannot reach your destination.

You are in need of assistance because you are stranded. You are now looking for a helping hand. You may jump on your cell and call a family member or friend who can bail you out. You may actually find yourself reaching out to someone you really don’t want to lend you help, but what choice do you have? You may have to ask a complete stranger… wait, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Triple-A maybe? You need help, and you need it ASAP.

A quick PSA, if your car died for no apparent reason you should seriously consider having it inspected by a professional to make sure there is nothing more problematic.

You are worried because you are stranded and waiting for assistance. If you happen to connect with someone who can come to you and jump you off, GREAT! You are now less worried than those who frantically call everyone they know and no one will pick up their phone. With each placed, missed, call your head begins swimming in not so pleasant thoughts. Worry soon consumes you to the point of, but certainly not limited to, frustration, anger, sadness, panic, and a non-caring attitude. Your worry has successfully freaked you out.

Congratulations. Your vehicle has let your mind trick you into thinking a serial murderer is right around the corner ready to pounce. Wait! A stranger in shiny Armor All is parked right next to you!

The stranger.

Remember when your family and friends left you to fend for yourself? Yeah, I do too. You were left to seek an alternative means of survival. You did something that makes some quiver with fear. You asked a stranger for a set of jumper cables. For some, asking a complete stranger for help is no big deal. You walk up, ask for help, and go on about your business. For others, it’s like sticking bamboo chutes in their fingernails – painful and scary. Yet, the common thread between the two is that they ask anyway.

Lo’ and behold, this stranger has just become your best friend. They scoot around to the rear of their vehicle and grab the cables. After they play the, ‘let me re-position my car to yours because I just realized my cables don’t reach,’ game, the vehicle hookup begins and electricity is soon flowing between the cars. Depending on the charging need, within a few minutes you are all juiced up and ready to roll. You thank the stranger (you MUST thank the stranger). Maybe you feel compelled to offer a monetary tip (don’t sweat it if this is not your thing). And you depart on the remainder of your journey to Point B.

The jumper cables.

“Can I borrow your shoulder to cry on?” “Will you ask me what is wrong even though I’m acting like everything is fine?” Most of us have never verbally said either of those questions, but most of us have asked both of another person. Life sometimes needs a jump.

We feel stranded at points in our lives. Perhaps you feel you are working a dead-end job with no apparent way out. Maybe the relationships you made did WAY more taking than giving and you feel abandoned. Money, or lack thereof, has left you feeling stranded with bills to pay and mouths to feed. There are only a few ways we could feel stranded in life, and I’ll bet you can think of several more on your own right now.

when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-lemonade

When life gives you lemons, find someone to give you sugar for your lemonade… right? I guess that’s not really the correct saying, but you get the point. We need help in life. We need a shoulder to cry on. We need someone to talk to about our being stranded. We are in desperate need of someone with life jumper cables.

Worried? Ha! What an understatement. As much as we would love to not worry, being stranded doesn’t help our fight in being worry-free. I could spend forever talking about it, but why bother, we get it. As a matter of fact, we’re kind of worried about how much more there is to read here now. (hopefully not 🙂 )

The stranger, revealed.

Just as a car needs electricity to run, we too need a battery to live. Our battery is not made of plastic, metal, and acid. Our battery relies on a relationship with our heavenly Father. God our Father has the life jumper cables we so desperately need. At times we feel as though we can take the cables off and run on our own power.

Imagine if your car was always connected to a power source with unlimited power, FOREVER. To make it even better, you never had to pay a penny for the power you consume. Craziness! That is the exact offer that Jesus extended us when he died for our sins on the cross. He created the eternal life jumper cables to forever keep us connected to an unlimited source of spiritual nourishment. Yet we continue to disconnect. We allow life to “get in the way” and seemingly forget He is always there for us with open arms. If you call him, He will always listen. If you’re worried, He’s always in control.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

Do you have a personal relationship with Christ? Is He a stranger to you that you fear asking for help? Please take the time to ask Him into your heart and accept the gift, the life jumper cables if you will, that he is gladly offering you.

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