I got an email this morning that included the following phrase.
(know you are friends with Shilo)
It hit me pretty hard. My mind went straight to the idea that if she is your friend then you must be a very lonely person. I thought about the other people who are my “friends” and thought how pathetic my life is. It was a quick fall and I had to fight my way out. What is wrong with me? Why do I struggle so much with the idea of friends? I have not had a difficult time using this word to describe people for a few weeks and then it hits me square in the face. Just like that I feel like I am back at the bottom – the loser with no friends. The person to be despised above all people. By the grace of God this only lasted for a little while but it still hurts my soul. The corruption inside runs so deep.
It is interesting to think about the things we have to overcome as individuals. I look at other people and think they should be able to solve this or that problem easily and while I have not asked I imagine that there are people who look at me and think the same thing with the problems I face. It is simple to solve problems in other people’s lives. Yet as we are in our own battles many times we do not know which way to go. This is why the body of believers is so important. We are there to carry each other’s burdens. This means specifically that we are in the fox hole with our brothers and sisters. We cannot be spectators and pray for God to put someone in their lives to help them because God put you in my life and He put me in your life so we can help each other.
Galatians 6:2 – Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
This is part of the responsibility of being a member of a local body of believers. We have to get our hands dirty. We pray fervently for the people in our lives. And as God provides opportunities, we help them but many times it might just be the act of listening to their problems that helps them the most. This might be why so many people are not members of a church or if they are members do not serve. They do not want to accept their responsibility to help carry the burdens of those in the church.
Who has God put in your life?