Alessandra settled into her seat on the upper deck of the jetliner, having finished every crumb of the yummy meal. Several families with young children were seated around her. One young mother was struggling to get her three-year-old son to settle down for the night, while her infant needed attention. Alessandra felt her irritation rising at the thought of her sleep being interrupted by a fussy toddler. She decided that it would be easier to offer to help.
“Excuse me; would you like some help? I could hold the baby if you want.”
The young woman turned and gave Alessandra an appreciative glance. “Thank you so much. I was just wondering how I was going to handle this. The baby just loves to be held.”
Alessandra stepped across the aisle to pick up the baby, glad that her two seatmates had gone downstairs to visit friends. She began walking her up and down the aisle. But the baby was hungry.
“Any advice?” Alessandra asked.
“There’s a bottle in her diaper bag. Thanks so much!”
Alessandra settled down with the baby to give her the bottle. Once the baby was finished, she began to fall asleep. Alessandra returned her to the car seat and settled herself down for the rest of the all-night flight, glad to have taken the time to help this young mother.
So often life throws us a bit of a curve ball, a little irritation that could ruin a good day. Alessandra chose to help instead of succumbing to the annoyance. Proverbs 3:27 offers some support for this strategy: “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to di it.” A modern equivalent? “See the need and take the lead.” Often taking time to lend a helping hand is the superior alternative to feeling irked or whiny. Let’s look for opportunities to be that needed helping hand at just the right time.
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