Editor’s note: For the month of August, our focus scripture can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:27 where it says that “Now you, collectively, are Christ’s body, and individually, you are members of it, each with his own special purpose and function.” AMP
Growing up a farm kid, my summer job was hoeing cotton. For those who know…. you feel my pain. For those of you that don’t- follow along. The day would begin before the sun was up: packing the drinks in the cooler that would wait for you at the end of the never-ending rows. Making sure you were first outside to get the best hoe. The hat that would keep you shaded but make you sweat even more. The long-sleeved shirt to keep away mosquitos and again, make you sweat even more. The gloves to keep you from getting blisters, and you guessed it- make you sweat even more! Some fields were not so bad – just a few weeds spaced out here and there and could be walked and hoed rather quickly. Some fields, though, were so overgrown with weeds you didn’t even want to begin.
Isn’t this how our lives are? Sometimes, not so bad, just a few little issues here and there that can be easily handled without much heartache. Yet at times, our lives look like these overgrown fields. It feels like trying to sort it all out is so heart wrenching that we would rather not even begin.
The part of hoeing fields as a kid that made it bearable was that my siblings were there to work with me, sweat with me, talk with me, laugh with me, sing with me, and I am not going to lie – sometimes cry with me.
Our lives as Christians should be no different.
In John 16:33, God tells us we will have trials, that the road may not always be easy, we will face hard times. At some point our lives are going to look and feel like those weedy fields. There will be times in our lives we need others to walk with us, talk with us, laugh and cry with us. But most importantly, during these times, we need others to pray with us and for us. God never asked His people to live this life alone, that was not His intention at all.
In Philippians 2 Paul challenged Christians to agree wholeheartedly with each other, love one another, work together with one mind and purpose, be humble, think of others as better than themselves, and take interest in others. Paul is encouraging us to have the same attitude as Jesus.
Just like the tools needed to make a day in the field easier – God has given us the tools for this life He has called us to. He has given us His Word, the Holy Spirit, and other believers that can help us through. This world we live in is much easier to handle when we have others in which we can count on to go through the weeds of life with us. People we trust that will point us to the Word of God, ones that will spur us on to fulfill our purpose and cover us in prayer.
I Corinthians 12:27 says “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
This is true for the people we live with and around at this very minute. I encourage you to surround yourself with people that have the attitude of Jesus. Intentionally seek out those who challenge you to walk in the truth and encourage you when you slip up. Even more importantly… Be that person for others!
We would like to thank Jill Winders for writing this blog post.
Women's Ministry 