The fabric of humanity

As life will an inevitably do from time-to-time, I found myself completely overwhelmed.  I was emotionally wrecked do to the intensity of this program, my computer, which I use as much as my Bible, was on its way out, and our car was on the fritz. The perfect storm had converged over my reality, creating a feeling of frustration and hopelessness.   As I tried to keep my world from crumbling, I felt totally outmatched.  I was fighting so hard to maintain control but finding myself unable to even put one foot in front of the other.  Then God intervened through a thought: you need to ask for help.  My pride flared up, but I knew I had no other choice.  I called my family for prayer and made my technological troubles known to a few members of our community.  Within two days, I was emotionally stable, had money for a new computer and the expertise of an auto mechanic, who fixed our car for $20.

Through this experience, I have begun to understand the importance of community.  Paul referred to it as the "body of Christ...from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love" (Eph 4.16).  I realized two important lessons: 1) we are all created to live interdependent on others.  It is how we are designed because it is who God is (Father, Son, Spirit). 2) helping others is not just a matter of giving them money.  Our responsibility to the "body of Christ" is not fulfilled through our tithes.  Rather, promoting "the body's growth" requires each of us to live out our individual talents, while being intimately aware of the rest of the body.  In other words, it is a matter of using our natural gifts and abilities to help others.  But in order to help others, we must know what they need, which requires moving beyond superficial conversations, being willing to be vunerable, and realizing the need to not be self-sufficient. 

Through simply being willing to ask for help and others doing what they are naturally good at, my entire reality went from terrible to good in a matter of days. Today, right now, - in what ways do you need help from others? Do you know what those around you need? How can you use what God has gifted you with to enrich the lives of those around you?