I’d like to share a parable with you. Being a parable, it’s as old as dirt and there are 165 versions of it, so I’ll tell it in my voice.

There once was an old guy who was standing near the banks of a mighty river.

He had a radio with him. The news reporter was describing the major storm that had dumped large amounts of rain on the region, and the townspeople should evacuate because the town was going to flood.

The old man told himself, ” I’ll be okay. God loves me, so he will save me.”

The town flooded.

A short while later a fireman came by in a boat. He yelled to the old man, still standing on the riverbank, ” Hey! Do you want a ride? The river’s going to rise quickly and this area will soon be under water!”

“I’ll be fine. I’m a good Christian and I know God loves me. He will save me!”

The river started swelling over its banks.

Soon afterwards, a helicopter hovered above the old man. The pilot yelled over a megaphone, ” Let us throw you a rope! In a few minutes this area will be completely flooded!”

“I told all of you – God will save me! He loves me and won’t let me die!”

A few seconds later, a wave of water cascaded over the beach. The old man drowned.

He found himself a short time later in heaven. Disoriented and confused, he demanded a meeting with God.

He walked through the pearly gates and into God’s office.

Our guy said, “God, I don’t get it. All my life I’ve been a good Christian. I trusted you to save my life. I don’t understand why you let me die.”

God pulled off his reading glasses and glared at the old man.

“I sent you a radio report, a rescue boat and a helicopter! What the hell are you DOING here?”

Help is right in front of us. We are not alone. We think people are too busy to be bothered with our problems. We think we’re being generous by not talking with them about what we want to do with our lives. We have our own versions of boats and ropes and helicopters and media, chock full of information, resources and guidance.

You are a good person. If you’d just ask us, we’d be happy to help you. The answers are right under your nose. Look down.

God willing and the creek don’t rise, John Scott is the author of “Destination: Reinvention”, now on sale in the Amazon book store.

“Reinvention: You, Only Better” – John’s one-hour Google hangout on organizing and amplifying your job search. April 11th, 2013, 7pm PDT.