“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  Galatians 6:10

One of the blessings I have received is the loving and prayerful support of Christian friends. And I think it’s a blessing that we sometimes take for granted.

The Christian community looks both inward and outward. We send support to people in duress all over the world, and we support missions in places near and far. Outreach gets a lot of attention, and deservedly so. But I think we need to recognize the bonds that bind us as a community. The community is what lifts us up.

Looking back on my life, I have been blessed in many ways. But many of those blessings came when I needed the support of my Christian friends. In 1981 my family moved to southern Africa. My children were ten, six and eleven months. It was in that faraway place that my marriage disintegrated. The church service was conducted in Setswana, so the expatriate Christian women organized a Bible study. Those women listened to my story, held me up, and were invaluable in my working through all the complications of moving back to the U.S. 

In 1994, I was very ill, but I didn’t think so. A member of my Via de Cristo team took me to the clinic and saw that I was admitted to Regions Hospital where I had surgery and spent a very long eleven days. She was my angel that day, but she was joined by many more who took care of my daughter, visited in the hospital and made a difficult time bearable.

I’m sure that anyone reading this will be able to think of times when their Christian friends lifted them up. And I’m sure that there have been times when each of us helped our friends through difficult times. Sometimes all it takes is listening to the story. Knowing that someone cares enough to take time to listen can help ease the burden.

I have been blessed to know so many caring friends who have been my support when I really needed it. I hope that I have been the same to others. Finally, I hope that everyone reading this has a group where they can share with one another and listen to one another, where each person knows that their friends love them and will be with them when they are needed.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for my Christian community. Teach us to value those friends who hold us up. Let us remember to show our love to all who may need our support. Amen.