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Devotion for Thursday, June 11
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10
Life as we knew it has changed. There is a level of uncertainty that is unsettling. Finances for many are in question, food supply seems to change often and unexpectedly, comforting routines have vanished. Some have suddenly been charged with helping to educate their children while others have had to quickly learn how to adapt in-person lessons to online classrooms. I believe that we all have been affected.
While growing up , I was asked numerous times what my goals were and where did I think I would be in a particular time frame. In retrospect, I think we can all safely say that in 2015, not a single person got the answer right to "Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" These times are unprecedented as we so often hear.
Listening to a popular podcast recently, I heard a mental health specialist suggest that we are all grieving. We are grieving our "normal", our comfortable routines and traditions. However, the one thing we haven't lost is our need for each other. We are hardwired to be with other people and we should never underestimate the overwhelming power of human connection.
I Thessalonians 5:11a clearly guides us in our human connections.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up."
We search for ways to help, to lighten another's load, to let others know we care, to bring a sense of reassurance where fear and frustration have slowly crept in, to spread God's love as He showers us with His. Make a phone call, write a note, reach out and touch those who might be hungering for that human connection.
People who help people are the luckiest people in the world.
Gracious Father, our lives have been rearranged, our plans placed on hold, our hugs stacked in the corner waiting to be used. We look to you ,dear God, for hope that every day is one day closer to the light that shows us the end of these struggles. Help us face each day with courage and gratitude over comfort.
And all God's people said ,"AMEN."
Barbara Schneider
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