Hi! It’s Jodi, I asked my beautiful, sweet friend, Kay, to guest blog for us today. She shares so beautifully and I know you will love how awesome she is and get a small dose of what our coffee dates sound like. You’re welcome. :)

Kay: I am responsible for medical care for a family member with Alzheimer’s. When I last dropped by the assisted living for a visit, a small something caught my eye. As we sat and chatted, I glanced over to the side table by the couch. Lying there next to the lamp was a folded paper napkin. Along one corner, was written the single word --“help”-- outlined several times in pen
for emphasis.

When I was alone in the room for a brief moment, I gently tore off the corner of that napkin and put it in my pocket. When I got home, I took it out and simply stared at it for a bit. And it dawned on me that this was how my sweet relative saw the world now—just a small cry for help in the corner of the paper napkin of her life, surrounded by blank white and unknown. I decided to keep that “help”, as a reminder to me when I got impatient with her or got tired of dealing with things. And over the next several days, that paper napkin would come to my mind. I came to realize that I too, had a paper napkin with “help” scribbled in the corner.

And gradually I understood that everyone has a paper napkin. It may be crumpled in a ball and hidden from sight—but it is there.

The apostle Peter, as he walked on water towards Jesus and began to sink, quickly revealed his “paper napkin”: “he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:28

Bartimaeus was wildly waving his paper napkin (with HELP in capital letters), not caring who saw.

“. . . a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the
road. And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Mark 10:46-47

But loud and boisterous or quiet and whispered, God hears.

Mark 5:25-30 tells of a woman with bleeding who quietly slipped up to Jesus’s side and touched his cloak to be healed. Her paper napkin lay hidden in the folds of her garment. Yet, Jesus heard her unspoken cry for help and healed her.

We can know and have assurance that when we call out for help, our Heavenly Father sees our paper napkin before we even call out, whether we wave it around and shout, or hide it away and don’t speak a word aloud.

Not only does HE hear us, He holds our right hand.

I chose three scriptures that remind us of God’s help to us, his children. But there are so many verses that speak of His help.

Psalm 139:4 “Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.”

Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the
sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake….”

Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you Do not fear: I will help you.”

The Bible is full of words of help and hope for us, as we clutch our paper napkins and sometimes forget how HE LOVES US and IS WITH US TO HELP us in this journey of life.

Jodi: You guys! Right? Told you! ;)
Sometimes I feel like Bartimaeus waving my napkin and acting a fool to get His attention and other times I am the woman who quietly goes to Jesus to hand Him my note with tears running down my face and hope in my eyes.

Thank you Kay for your gentle reminder how much we are seen and loved by our Heavenly Father.

Don’t be afraid to wave your napkin and look to Jesus today.
Have the most amazing day, Loved of God!
All My Love ~
Jodi xoxo

Kathleen Bateman, better known as Kay, was a nurse for thirty-five years. After retiring, she turned to writing. At present, she has written two books: The Healing Power of Fajitas, and the sequel, Truth, Lies and Fried Chicken. Now, her main job is grandmother to seven amazing people who teach her new stories all the time. She is honored to have been asked to write something again—this time for Jodi.

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