9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their hard work. 10 If either should fall, one can pick up the other. But how miserable are those who fall and don’t have a companion to help them up!
Reflection
We thought we were prepared to handle twins on our own. Then our twins were born two months early. It was overwhelming, but then an army of people assembled to help us. I needed to go to the hospital everyday, and someone would show up to drop me off at the hospital so I could be with our premature babies. Some how dinners were delivered to feed us, cards arrived to cheer us and phone calls checked in on us to see how we were doing. People prayed and donated blood for our babies. Three months later when our babies came home, we were so sleep deprived from their every two and three hour feeding schedules. Yet the meals continued and people volunteered to help us to care for our babies. Our church family along with our family members sustained us through a very difficult time in our lives. There was no way my husband Steve and I would have gotten through that experience on our own. We are forever grateful for their care and it taught us the importance of living and caring for others in community.
Today we live in a very individualistic society. Americans pride themselves on not needing to ask for help, of “going it alone,” and being “self made.” It’s almost as if we think we live in a vacuum. But the truth is there will be times in our lives that we can’t go it alone. We don’t want to appear like “we can’t handle it.” That is hard for many of us to accept. Reaching out and accepting help isn’t a sign of failure, it’s a sign of strength. To be vulnerable to what others may think of us requires that we accept we’re not super human. It requires us to understand that God created us to be in community to help and support each other. This means that we are available to help others when they are in need and that we can accept the help of others when we are in need. God blesses us when we ask for help and God blesses us when we help others.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
The wisdom teachers who wrote Ecclesiastes understood the value of community. Two are better than one because we can share resources with each other and receive or offer help when we fall. God created us for connection with God and each other. Jesus lived a life that
exemplified caring compassion for others. When he sent out his disciples, he sent them two by two. He understood the importance of mutual care and support in the face of life’s challenges. When we encourage each other, care for each other and support each other on the journey, we, and those receiving our care, experience the love of God in our lives.
Today, who do you see around you that needs to experience the love of God through your actions of caring and compassion?
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, open our eyes and our ears to those around us who may need our help, but are unable to ask. Help us to be like Jesus, to see those needs and to respond with caring and compassion so that they will feel the love of God in their lives. In Jesus name. Amen.
