My family and I recently went to see an inspiring movie that received rave reviews. “The Help” is a unique story of an American author who, during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, writes a book from African-American maids’ points of view. It’s about the white families the maids work for and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. The movie was wonderful and brought back a lot of memories from my childhood in the South. It was an eye-opener for my sheltered teenage children.
As we exited the theater, I started to think about old song lyrics that say, “Jesus is my help!” The Bible verse Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
It’s good to know that we have not been left to navigate this life alone. When our problems are beyond human comprehension or seem too heavy for us to carry, God says we can bring our troubles to him and He will make our heavy loads light. We can find comfort in knowing that when we are weak, God still is strong and, through our relationship with Him, we have an everlasting help.
 As I listen to my confident young people, I hear them say, “I’m on the grind,” which means they’re working hard to accomplish something. But the thing about “grinding” is that at some point, you get worn out. Our minds begin to wonder how we’ll get through the difficult seasons in our lives.
Psalms 121 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber.”
While we are grinding it out, God is behind the scenes, working it out. Jesus is our help. We’re not raising children alone. We’re not facing trials alone. We’re not facing foreclosure alone, and we’re not fighting alone. Understand that in this life, we will always be hard-pressed to make and achieve goals, accomplish our tasks and work hard to be successful. But we must keep our priorities in perspective.
Through our relationship with Christ, we are never alone because He said He never will leave us. And no matter how low we feel, we are still children of God. The work we do brings glory to our heavenly Father and though it may get rough sometimes, we still have the best help available.
As the old hymn says, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Jesus is my help!”

Hayes is the president of the United Ministerial Alliance and pastor of New Day Outreach Ministry.