Life Interrupted

“We who are strong are to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Romans 15:1-2.

The first sentence reminds me of a powerful statement in a Christian song… ‘We are all one phone call from our knees.’ We can be strong in one season bearing up for another only to find ourselves devastated the next day due to life’s circumstances. I see this over and over again in Griefshare to name one example. The word ‘failings’ does not refer to sin in this verse but rather to the circumstances of life that has oppressed someone. The first night of Griefshare everyone comes broken, exhausted and devastated. Throughout the thirteen week sessions I see the hand of Christ reach out from one suffering heart to another. I see the feet of Christ walk over to pray with another.

God’s heart is always moved by the suffering of His children. If we are the hands and feet of God we are to reach out of our pain and healing to those who are weak and hurting. Anything short of sharing God’s love, comfort and strength blocks the blessings from God for that person. It would be easy to ‘please ourselves’ by never opening past wounds to minister to the present wounds of others. He never intended His strength to be contained within ourselves. In His strength that flows through us we are to give it away.

In the same way, we must realize and receive those who reach out to us during difficult times as His way of reaching out to comfort us. The hands and feet of others (their actions towards our comfort) are ways that God manifests His love, strength and comfort. To reject the comfort of others is to the reject the comfort of God. It would be like me trying to walk forward but telling my legs or feet ‘No thank you, I don’t need you – I can do this on my own.’ How far would I move ahead? The success of the complete function of our body is dependent upon how well the other members of our body function.

God’s children make up the Body of Christ, His Son. ‘Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.’ Romans 12:4. I have definitely learned through challenging circumstances that we are never to be an island in Christ. We are to give in some seasons and we are to receive in others.

Our strength today may turn to weakness tomorrow. Prepare yourself for a life of give and take in God’s economy so that His blessings will continue to flow without interruption.