Heartbeatنموونە

Have you read the book or seen the movie Unbroken? If not, I won’t spoil it for you (but seriously, go read it because it’s an incredible story). In it, there’s a scene in which the main character, Louie Zamperini, is forced to hold this unbelievably heavy steel beam over his head for as long as possible. Incredibly, he did it…for 37 minutes.  Prior to performing this amazing physical feat, Louie had been in a military prison camp where he was severely malnourished, exhausted, and on the verge of collapse.  This moment in his story was a moment of miraculous triumph. 

That scene reminds me of a story from the life of Moses. In the book of Exodus, when Moses and his brother Aaron were leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the Israelites were fighting against one of their many enemies, the Amalekites. By this point, they were tired, hungry, thirsty, lost, and scared. But God had not forgotten them. He granted the Israelites victory in this battle... as long as Moses held his staff toward heaven, giving all of the glory to God. 

As you read that story, it’s easy to picture Moses as Louie Zamperini, triumphantly holding that beam above his head. It’s easy to assume that, of course, God gave Moses the superhuman strength needed to hold his staff in the air all day as the fighting continued. But that’s not what happened.  Instead, “When Moses’ hands grew tired... Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” With that, the Israelites won the battle.

Have you ever been in a position where others have had to hold you up? 

Are there people you know who may be growing tired for whatever reasons?  Take time today to remind them that they are not alone in carrying their burdens. Taking time to prop them up, to hold up their tired hands—is what true ‘serving’ is all about.