Whenever life gets messy, most of us pray for the same thing.
"God, Can you send someone just hold to my hand and get me safely to the other side?"
Recently, I visited Palani Hills. There was option like rope cable car and winch but the waiting queue was nearly three hours. Like many others, I took a deep breath and started to descend the steps.
I had barely walked down three or four steps when I heard a gentle voice behind me.
"Can I hold your hand for just two steps?"
An elderly lady, probably around 65, was smiling at me. She only wanted help for two steps.
I held out my hand for her support After those two steps, I smiled and said, "Don't worry. Hold my hand. We will go all the way down together."
She smiled in a way that said more than words ever could.
What should have been a quick 30-minute walk turned into almost two hours.
She walked slowly, resting every few minutes. And during every pause came another story.
She spoke about her husband with so much affection. She talked about her son, her family, and little moments from her life that probably seemed ordinary to everyone else but somehow felt extraordinary while listening to them.
Honestly, I started wondering whether I was helping her... or is god trying to teach me?
By the time we reached the bottom, she gently placed her hand on my head, blessed me, and said, "You were sent by Lord Murugan. Thank you."
For a moment, I didn't know what to say. Sometimes gratitude leaves you completely speechless.
She continued, "May you live a long life."
The blessing she gave me was the exact opposite of the prayer I had carried in my heart.
I simply looked up at the hill and said, Lord, just as I held her hand and helped her through those difficult steps, will You hold mine? Walk beside me, guide me through every obstacle.
Sometimes we are the one asking for a hand.
Sometimes we become the hand someone else was praying for.
