Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of
all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received
from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV).
Friend to Friend
You have heard the old saying, “What goes around, comes around.” Truer
words were never spoken when talking about encouragement. We all need
encouragement – especially during the tough times. Those “tough” times
can come in all shapes, sizes and forms and can vary from person to
person.
We have one child who has been known to run an extremely high fever,
walk around on a broken foot, and have a headache that would put me in
bed... all without a word of complaint. The doctors have always been
amazed at this child’s high level of pain tolerance. We have
another child who has been known to dissolve into hysterics at the sight
of a splinter embedded in a finger and turn ghastly pale and almost
faint at the mere smell of the doctor’s office. The doctors have been
amazed at this child’s low level of pain tolerance. The
difference between these two children does not reflect a right or wrong
reaction. As one of my friends often says, “It is what it is.” When each
child was in pain, they both needed understanding, compassion, and
encouragement.
When I went through my first major battle with clinical depression, one
of the most precious groups of encouragers was the elders of the church
where my husband was the pastor. With my permission, Dan shared with
them what I was dealing with and asked them to pray. They did pray. But
these men didn’t think prayer was enough. These amazing angels wanted to
do more by putting feet and hands to those prayers and did not stop
until they came up with a rescue plan for me.
Our church had five services each weekend and because I was so
emotionally frail, I never knew which service I would be able to attend
until I was on the way. Dan would relay the message that I was coming,
and the elders went into action. One would meet me at the car and escort
me inside. Another would keep an eye on me during the service in case I
needed help. Our church auditorium had three main aisles. An elder
would walk those aisles before and after the service, watching and
waiting. Many times, the elder would press a note of encouragement into
my hand as he passed the offering plate. If he sensed I was in trouble
or caught in a draining conversation, he would swoop in, take me by the
arm and say, “Excuse us, please. Mary is needed elsewhere.” I was then
ushered to my car, hugged and told, “We are praying for you. We love
you. Go home.” I know. It was amazing! Their encouragement was also a
main factor in my recovery.
The reason these special men offered me encouragement was because Dan
and I made the decision to share my pain – openly and honestly. Doing so
invited them into my life. Now that I am on the other side of that pit,
I remember the love and encouragement they gave me – and I am motivated
to encourage others. It’s God’s circle of encouragement. However, there
is another very important truth here I don’t want us to miss.
There are those who suffer alone and in silence, unable to scrape up
the courage to share their pain and have no advocate to sound the alarm
on their behalf. I believe God will not only give us the discernment to
see their pain; but He will also show us how to encourage and build them
up. He will reveal ways to help the weak and be patient with the broken
lambs who cross our path ... if we ask Him to do so.
Are you willing to share your pain with others and allow God to use
them in your life as a source of encouragement? Don’t miss the
opportunity to be part of the circle of encouragement.
Father, I am amazed at how You love me through others. Thank You for the gift of encouragement. Help me to receive that gift and then to give it away to someone else in need. I want to be Your hands and feet to those who are hurting around me. Give me eyes to see them and love them, Lord.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Today's Bible Verse...
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. —Acts 3:19
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
I'm
not sure what we fear about repentance (turning our hearts and lives to
God)? God will not only receive us; he will also redeem us and remake
us. But that repentance is often so hard for us to do. We get stuck in
old patterns of destructive and addictive behavior. We believe Satan's
deceptive lies. We use self-deprecating thoughts to defeat the Spirit's
work in ourselves. So why not come clean and confess our sins and truly
turn our lives over to God? If we will, we will find something truly
refreshing!
My Prayer...
Holy and righteous Father, I am not sure why I so doggedly
hold on to some of my "pet" sins. Part of me wants to break free of
these stumbling blocks, but part of me doesn't. I need your help in
turning myself fully over to you. Please send your healing, cleansing,
and refreshing power through the Holy Spirit to help me as I commit in
my heart to fully and completely turn my life over to you. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.
The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.
No comments:
Post a Comment