"Let me help somebody in a tangible way. . . "

I read a firsthand account of someone inside the medical tent at the Boston Marathon. Tyler Dodd, with medical training in trauma, crossed the finish line and went to help victims. He says this: 

I'm a recovering alcoholic. I wake up every morning and I pray for God to guide me through my day, and I asked for Him to let me help somebody in a tangible way. I had no idea this is what He had planned for me.

All day, I'm struck by the simple prayer to "let me help somebody in a tangible way." Can you imagine living a life like that? Where every day was shaped by God's guidance and the goal of helping somebody else in a tangible way? Tyler Dodd's prayer inspires me. 

So simple. So right. 

Later, I'm reading Paul Miller's Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus, and the following words sink down deep: 

When we confront a new or difficult situation, we can become confused and overwhelmed. Often we don't even know how to begin. But we can look. We might not feel compassion, but we can concentrate on the other person. By keeping the other person in front of us, we are opening the door to compassion.

We can look. We can open the door to compassion. 

I leave my home on a mission to look and help in tangible ways. The day shines with a new purpose and a new beauty. 

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Did you look and help today? What happened?