“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT
A few months ago, Jerry and I embarked on a journey of opening our former home to missionaries. How that happened is in the details. Suffice it to say, among the struggles of letting God take from our hands the reins of control of the beautiful property we so dearly loved to call our own, and instead, making us stewards of what was His all along, we have begun to walk down the road of what it means to be hospitable.
I love and take delight in offering the best I can to all who come to stay with us. But when the reality of crawling into bed, bone-tired at 7pm on a Friday night because I have once again Spring-cleaned our entire property between one group leaving and the next arriving four days later, the joy of serving began to exit my heart. The glamour I had subconsciously attached to washing another’s feet was crumbling in the wake of reality.
As the weeks wore on and the cycle continued, my attitude took a slow shift. Instead of experiencing the anticipation of meeting new folks and hearing their stories, I began to dwell instead on the fact that the highlight of my days would be to wash sheets, towels, bathrooms, and floors, dusting and mopping, ad nauseam. Like a hamster on a wheel with hardly anything but repetitiveness to look forward to, that became my focus. To my surprise though, when I thought I couldn’t do it even ONE…MORE…TIME, in the most unexpected way,
God stepped in.
~ With a phone call from a friend who ended up happily chatting away for over an hour keeping me company while I finished dusting the entire house. One minute I had a mountain to climb. The next, I was on the other side, task completed.
~ With another, who in giving two nights of her time, helped me to put the house back together, remaking beds, vacuuming, vacuuming, and vacuuming some more while I chiseled away at the bathrooms.
~ With my husband meticulously helping me to clean the patio, decks, and front porch, each and every week.
It’s those unexpected things isn’t it? With all of those people walking beside me—via the phone or in person—facing the drudgery became less daunting. A skip jumped back into my step as I put the final touches on our property that welcomed the next guest with the love I truly wanted to give.
Have you ever found yourself feeling overwhelmed with life?
~ When in caring for your family, the weariness of the day-to-day, takes over, seeming to eclipse the love you feel.
~ When frayed nerves due to overwhelming stress causes you to snap, saying something unkind or downright hurtful.
~ When what you carry is so hard, you know you can’t take one more step.
When my first husband passed away, my children were 10, 15, and 17. During that time my pastor voiced the concern I wasn’t letting anyone help me go through that pain. He felt I was walking by myself when I should not be.
Are you trying to do life alone?
The Lord shines the light on a better way.
In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT, He tells us:
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”
Jesus never meant for us to make life’s journey on our own. He promises He is always with us, never leaving or forsaking us.
So if you get that gift of a phone call, a friend helping with your day-to-day, your spouse stepping in, or anything that lifts your heavy load, know it is the Lord sending gifts of His Presence in the unexpected.
Heavenly Father, please forgive me for trying to do life on my own. Forgive that I so often forget You’re with me. Please help me to live gratefully, keeping my eyes Heavenward, living in the assurance of Your love. Thank You, Lord, for the unexpected You send my way. In Jesus name. Amen
Kimberly
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 KJV
