Lodged - 2 - Wednesday January 20, 2016
Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1 ESV
As I was trying to rescue flattened sunflowers in our lawn last summer, my desire was to get them standing again. Hands full of sodden leaves and muddy sticks, I thought of how God rescues us from our falls, and how He expects us to "work together with Him" in setting others "back on their feet" after setbacks and difficulties.
The first thing I did was to lift heavy sticks or clumps of leaves off the slender stems of the flowers. Similarly, I notice that God lifts burdens off ones He is restoring to strength. He removes sin and guilt. He may lighten a financial burden, or resolve emotional pain weighing on a heart. He calls us to be His helpers in this process, to be listening, counseling, praying, giving sacrificially like Him.
Gentleness in bringing the prostrate stems back into an upright position was needed. Some I tried to reposition, and they just broke off. That was the end of my help! Our attempts to help others must always be made with the knowledge that we may harm rather than help, as much as we desire to improve the situation. We can inflict pain by moving too fast before we understand another's heart. God is the Master here – we are simply servants. He is in control – we are not. He is strong, firm – but He is gentle.
My best rescues were to get a sunflower upright and then brace it with still-standing flowers. Surrounding a weak and suffering one with a community of loving Christians is a strong protection while healing takes place. God means us to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), and that's a beautiful thing. Like a sea of sunflowers in sun!
Submitted by:
Dotty Vanderhorst
Cornerstone Community Church
Overland Park, Kansas
One-Year Reading Plan:
Genesis 41:17-42:17
Matthew 13:24-14:26
Psalms 18:1-15
Proverbs 4:1-6
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