Stand By Me
Dan Kunz
Over the years, Hollywood has produced a number of movies in which a teacher who believes in a student or students, has a lifelong impact on their lives. One of my favorites is called Stand and Deliver. It’s a true story about Jaimie Escalante, a Hispanic teacher in an East Los Angeles high school. Escalante, played by actor Edward James Olmos, teaches algebra to a group of Latino students whose academic achievement is far below their grade level. He believes that students will rise to the level which is expected of them. Because these students have had little expected of them, they have produced little. He expects a great deal of them and they rise to an unexpected level of achievement. It is a “feel good” movie which received a great deal of recognition in its day.
The support of others can, indeed, be life changing. As a matter of fact, it can not only be life changing, but life saving. The sad statistics of teen suicide today reveal young people who badly need support and love. We may take such support for granted, but not everyone has it. At our oldest grandson’s confirmation last week, the pastor did something I had never seen before. As the confirmands stood in the front of the church, the pastor asked their parents to come to the front and stand behind their children. He then made the point that their parents loved them and were standing behind them to show their support. He went on to say that the entire congregation was also “behind them”, both literally and symbolically. All of these people, including their parents, are there to help and support them. Whether it be in their walk of faith or their walk in life, a lot of people want to help. It was a dramatic visual representation of what it means to be part of a Christian family and the larger family of believers. God wants us and expects us to be there for one another!
Ephesians 2:19 So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. Ultimately, the best support of all comes from our God. He is our Heavenly Father. He is our Savior. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is true that sometimes friends let us down. Family may also let us down. That will never be true of God. We may walk away from him, but he will never walk away from us! Because of the support which God gives us, we can use that example to be the support which others need. God can do things for his people which we cannot do, but we have one very important thing to offer those who depend on us. We are physically present. We can give a hug. We can give a shoulder to cry on. We can give a ride. The amount of ways in which we can support others is almost limitless.
Just as Jesus’ love compelled him to leave his heavenly home and suffer the humility of becoming human in order to save us from sin, his love can compel us to love and support others when they sorely need it. Look around you. Who needs your support today?