With Outstretched Arms

Many years ago, in a Peanuts cartoon, Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown are shown gazing over the top of a wall, both looking quite downcast. Patty says, “I need to talk to someone who knows what it’s like to feel like a fool, someone who knows what it’s like to be humiliated, someone who’s been disgraced, beaten, and degraded… someone who’s been there…”
In the last frame, there are no words. Charlie Brown simply turns to Patty—arms outstretched.

We’ve all been there.

Every one of us has moments when we’ve needed someone to simply understand. We all need people who will stand with us in our pain or struggle. In those moments, we don’t need a sermon, or advice, or even wise words. We need presence—a warm hug, a listening ear, a caring heart.

I hope you can be that person for someone else—a friend, a neighbor, a loved one, even a stranger. When we open our hearts to others in love, we often receive far more than we give.

Just think about Charlie Brown.

Let us pray:  Giver of Hope, we thank you that we do not walk alone. We thank you that we don’t have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We thank you that we can cast our cares on you and depend on your strength. And we thank you for the gift of the faith community—those who walk beside us. We pray today for all who are desperately in need of your grace and presence. We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.