We Do Not Journey Alone

by Lisa Coleman

Remember the Rocky movies about a poor Italian American from the slums of Philly?  He is portrayed as overcoming obstacles in his life.  In the book Healing the Masculine Soul, Gordon Dalbey says that when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Helper, he uses a Greek word, paraclete, that was an ancient warrior’s term. “Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs,” says Dalbey, “so when the enemy attacked, they could draw together back-to-back, covering each other’s blindside. One’s battle partner was the paraclete.” Our Lord does not send us to fight the good fight alone. The Holy Spirit is our battle partner who covers our blind side and fights for our wellbeing. Tom Tripp, Colusa, California

There is folklore surrounding Poland’s famous concert pianist and prime minister, Ignace Paderewski, that includes this story, which though fictional provides a true image of what God does with us:

A mother, wishing to encourage her young son’s progress at the piano, bought tickets for a Paderewski performance. When the night arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on stage. Soon the mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away. When eight o’clock arrived, the spotlights came on, the audience quieted, and only then did they notice the boy up on the bench, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. “Don’t quit–keep playing,” he whispered to the boy. Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

In our lives, the Father invites us to keep up the good fight, keep playing for He has provided our Paraclete, the Holy Spirit – our Helper.  He surrounds us and whispers to us time and time again, on our side always for us.  As we live with uncertainties in our lives, He augments and supplements until we become all that He created us to be.

Who do you have in your corner?  Mickey Goldmill or the Paraclete?  What’s the difference?  I hope you will join us tomorrow to find out.

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You can download the Bible study materials for this session for your personal use and watch the Zoom video of the in-class session by following the links below:

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Follow this link to find other studies in this series: TRANSFORMED: Knowing & Doing God’s Will.