Article/Blog Post 2 - Why H.E.L.P?
While the name of this organisation may seem quite obvious, let me pose this question.
Why H.E.L.P?
Certainly the name suggests an organisation that wants to help others and is willing to do so. But it is much more than that.
The name of the organisation is an acronym and the letters stand for:
H - Hope
E - Encouragement
L - Love
P - Prayer
These four key aspects of what the H.E.L.P Network are all about run quite deep. Consider this for a moment.
First, we are a group of Christians seeking to assist other Christians and especially those in business who are suffering in these times of crisis. So the acronym “H.E.L.P” is appropriate because our goal is to help those in need or who are suffering.
But the acronym H.E.L.P. also speaks about the nature of the help we offer and how we aim to help Christians in need. These four points identified in the acronym are linked and together they form a powerful process to assist those in need.
Hope
Hope is the first of the four keys and it is important because without hope there is no future.
Hope lifts us up and carries us forward. As Christians we often talk about the hope of salvation and our hope in Jesus Christ.
It is no different for those trying to lift themselves out of disaster. They need hope to be saved from their current situation and to be able to move forward. Hope is the thing that gets people out of bed in the morning for without hope, there is no point.
This is why we at the H.E.L.P Network see hope as being a critical factor in all we do.
Encouragement
The second element of the H.E.L.P acronym is encouragement and it is strongly aligned with and linked to hope.
I believe it was Ken Blanchard who coined the term that “Praise is the breakfast of champions.” Well, encouragement is like praise and encouragement is the fuel that drives people forward to achieve what they hope for.
It is essential to first have a hope because that determines what the future will look like, but it is encouragement that helps to push people forward, especially when things have gone wrong or they fall down.
Encouragement fuels and powers the hope so that people achieve the things they hope for.
A large part of the work of the H.E.L.P Network is to encourage those who are down. We aim to lift their spirits, upbuild and strengthen so that they have the courage to face the adversity in which they find themselves and to move beyond it.
Love
The third element of the H.E.L.P Network acronym is love.
In the end as Christians, we know that God is love and it is our aim to emulate His love in all we do.
The love of God is action oriented. In the book of 1 Corinthians 13 we see that the love of God is about what we do, not the mushy emotions perpetrated by Hollywood. It is about actions and behaviours, most specifically towards others.
So love is a key element of the H.E.L.P Network because what we do and how we interact and relate to others shows the love we have for God and how we express it towards those who need help.
Prayer
The final element of the H.E.L.P Network acronym is prayer.
Prayer is the connection and the link between man and God. It is by prayer that we seek His counsel and put all of our wants, needs and desires into His hands.
Prayer is communication and when it comes to helping those in disaster, we need to communicate with God to lead and guide our efforts.
Prayer is also a focal point for the members of the H.E.L.P Network because we can identify each others needs and the needs of those who are suffering from disaster and pray for one another.
Summary
So these are the four key elements of the H.E.L.P Network acronym and it is these that drive us forward.
It is our hope also that by prayer, encouragement and in the love of God you might join us to grow this network and bring a blessing to all.