Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12: 10-14)
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”( James 1:2-4)
“Are we there yet?” (Every child, on every trip, anywhere)
There’s a phrase floating around church circles that totally annoys me every time I hear it. That phrase it “God will never give you more than you can handle”.
You need to know right off the mark that this phrase isn’t biblical. There’s a passage in first Corinthians 10:13 that kinda comes close but is actually talking about withstanding ‘temptation’ and ‘not sinning’, and has nothing to do with whether or not your life circumstances have become unbearably difficult.
Because, I can tell you in all honesty, that there have been times in my life that what I have been handed has been beyond my own coping. I’ve gotten through those times by white knuckling through, and relying heavily on the people that I love and trust. But it hasn’t been something that I could do alone; or even that I could do because my faith somehow gave me superhuman strength.
No – my coping on my own is woefully inadequate. And really, so is my faith.
I don’t think I’m alone.
In fact, I think all of us are in this position, and that’s why we have been called together into community.
This morning on my drive up to the church I heard the Ontario Science Table talk about us now entering our 7th wave of Covid. I listened to the report with a grim recognition that we were in for another bumpy summer and likely a bumpy fall. My gut reaction was of horror, and I pathetically yelled into the air (remember, in the car? No one could hear me bellowing (or maybe whining)) “I can’t do this anymore”.
I can’t.
But we can.
We can do this together. We can carefully pick each other up, place our masks over our nose and our chin and roll with this punch/wave. I can’t withstand this alone, but all of us, together, can support and encourage us to be “devoted to each other in love” and to “let {our} steadfastness have its full effect”.
This Covid journey can threaten to take us down if we think that we’re supposed to cope on our own. Actually, all of life can take us down if we think we’re supposed to cope on our own. We need each other. We need our community. And we need to constantly point the path forward and motivate each other for this.
And at the end of the day, not only are we all being led by God to move forward, but God is accompanying us on this Covid and life journey, AND God is bringing up the rear; making sure that those of us who are straggling and faltering are still gathered with each other in love.
Hang in there, my dear Bethel Friends. We’ve got this.
Blessings today and remember you are Loved.
~Rev. Lynne