Last week, my son, Jon, fractured a tiny bone in his foot.
(For those of you who are medically inclined, it was the fifth metatarsal on
the right foot.) Suddenly, he is wearing a protective, pressurized boot. His activities are restricted and things that
were once done without thought, have now become laborious and even impossible
to do without help. He cannot stand on
his feet for extended times. Also,
because it is the right foot, he cannot drive for at least 3 weeks.
The prior Sunday’s message at our church concerned “loads
and burdens.” Loads referred to those
responsibilities that are a part of everyday life. These include working, paying bills,
maintaining car and home, caring for family, etc. Although these may sometimes be difficult,
they are part of your everyday life. A
burden was described as something that results from occurrences beyond your
control. Referenced here, were a car wreck taking the life of the mother of
young children, severe illness, a woman left to raise her children alone when
her husband leaves, an elderly widow, etc. These are above and beyond the ordinary occurrences
of everyday life.
Jon’s current situation is a picture of this message. Under normal conditions, he would never ask someone
to drive him to work. He is embarrassed
to ask for help getting him food and water or moving his computer. He would
never consider requesting ‘sit down’ work duties. He’s a dependable young man
who does what is necessary to take care of his own responsibilities. He strives to go above expectations.
My husband, David, and I are more than happy to assist. We
are not only willing to respond to his requests, but we actually look to help
with his needs before he even asks. This is just what we want to do. Jon is our
son and we love him. We can’t think of responding in any way but helping him at
this time. Although driving him to work will be a little inconvenient, it is
just what I will do. Getting him a bottle of water or moving things that he
cannot carry is just the way it is. We are family. We help each other.
The church body is also referred to as a family. Do we
respond to the needs of those in our church family in this same way? Do we not
even consider acting otherwise? Do we look for ways to help someone before they
even need to ask? When we do respond, is it grudgingly or cheerfully? Do we pat
ourselves on the back for being so selfless? These are all questions that we
must ask ourselves. If you are living in a community within the body of Christ,
you should look to the overwhelming needs of others with a heart open to serve.
The apostle Paul
encourages the church at Philippi. “Let
each of you esteem and look
upon and be concerned
for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others”.
(Philippians 2:4 AMP) They were not told
to neglect their own needs or fail to fulfill their own responsibilities, but
they were encouraged to look for ways to meet the needs of others. Often we are called to help others during the
times of our greatest need. God wants us to respond with willing hearts, even
when those hearts are themselves overwhelmed. Instead of looking for who will
help me, I am to look for who I can help.
We have this great
promise from the Lord. “I have strength for all things in Christ Who
empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient
in Christ’s sufficiency]. (Philippians 4:13 AMP) If you
are carrying a heavy load, you have the assurance that God will give you the
strength to see the situation through. Your daily life may have some things you
wish you didn’t have to deal with, but God will provide the strength for each
day.
We also have the
promise, “And my God will liberally
supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in
Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 AMP) This does not mean that we must stand
alone, trusting God and looking for His direct provision in silence. He can and
does intervene miraculously and sometimes this is may be through strangers. Yet this often quoted passage comes after
verse 18 which states, “But I have [your
full payment] and more; I have everything I need and am amply supplied, now that I have
received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent me.” Putting these verses in
the proper order, all needs are met by God, but often through others who want
to support us. When we experience the circumstances that lead to a burden, God
intends for those in our family to help us along. Just like the Philippians helped Paul, there
are fellow believers who want to help you.
I mentioned earlier
that Jon hates asking for help doing the simple, basic things. He cannot get out of the car without his
crutches. He needs someone to not only
drive him places, but place his crutches in and retrieve them from the back
seat. His duties at work include driving and some activities that require him
to be on his feet. He had to ask his supervisor if there was work he could do
sitting down. By asking he has found
people more than willing to accommodate him.
His friends assisted him when they went over the weekend and his
supervisor is preparing modified duty for him to continue to work. All he had to do is ask.
Sometimes we face
struggles that are too much for us to bear alone. We try to do it on our own. This results in frustration and often
tears. Asking may be difficult. You may hate to ask for help. But the Bible tells us to bear one another’s
burdens. If we don’t ask, we not only
hurt ourselves, but also that person that wants to obey God by providing assistance. Simply if you need help, ask. Let your brothers and sisters know what is
going on in your life. Sometimes all you
have to do is ask.
So what exactly is our
pattern for life? We are to carry our loads with a cheerful, trusting attitude.
When we experience a burden, we are to let those in our family know what we
need. We need to gratefully receive from our brothers and sisters as though
from the Lord. And at all times we are to be looking for those we can help.
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