Apples of Gold

While my oldest daughter is serving as a missionary in Japan we like to FaceTime a lot. One of the things we tend to do together is workout. One day she suggested an all arm workout. Since there were no weights involved it sounded quite doable so we decided to go for it. After about 10 minutes of holding our arms in the air doing different movements the searing pain was pretty real and the desire to let our arms fall to our sides-for just a second or two-was pretty irresistible. After trudging through that workout it was quite easy to empathize with Moses:

While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. Exodus17:8-13

I can easily recall the burning sensation shooting through my bi-ceps the first time we attempted that workout. It was no joke. I can picture Moses determinedly raising his arms at the beginning of the battle, after awhile what seemed like a ridiculously easy battle strategy became surprisingly difficult. Unlike during our workout, the consequences for letting his arms rest, even for a second, was brutal. Moses needed help. Thankfully Aaron and Hur were ready to step in and stand beside him, giving him the support he needed to finish this right.

From time to time we all need a little help-sometimes we need a whole lot of help. I find that the deepest, darkest challenges I face often leave me grasping for the strength and the words to formulate a cry for help. At these times having a support system around me is crucial for my survival. I have been blessed with a group of friends and co-laborers-and of course family-that are monitoring me closely. They are not hoping for some “tea” or secretly hoping I trip over my own feet, but rather they are earnestly, graciously and powerfully interceding for me. They are eyeing the load I am carrying, rivaling the Grinch’s jam-packed sleigh precariously perched on the edge of a cliff, while I dangle from the rope, attempting to keep it from going over the edge. There are things in my life that they pray about more than I do. Those things that press down heavily like the weighty blackness of a moonless night, making it feel difficult to even breathe and impossible to focus. They stand beside me and brace my arms, as they articulate the prayers that seems to lodge in my throat. They embody Galatians 6:2.

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

This is what healthy Christianity looks like. There are times they need my prayers. I hope that I encourage them just a smidgen of the way they bolster my faith. Paul provides a clear picture of how this is supposed to work:

How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith. May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Facebook can be a blessing and a curse. So many craft a cleverly presented tale of a perfect life, marriage, family-choosing carefully the best of all they experience. If we are not careful it can cause us to long for what they have. Only it’s not really an accurate portrayal of what their life truly is. The enemy encourages us to present a Facebook worthy facade to those around us. It’s all great-everything in my life is amazing-no struggles here. This meticulously designed ploy has a two-pronged impact. It prevents us from receiving the help that we need from others while often discouraging those who are perhaps struggling with the very same thing; as they wonder why we get to walk a gently sloping path even as they attempt to navigate the sharp stones and steep hills cluttering theirs.

Let’s just be real with each other. I love God with all my heart but still I find myself to often be a mess. There are things I want and don’t have and things I have but don’t want. There are obstacles in my path that I cannot see a way around but perhaps your perspective provides a clearer view. Here is some really good advice:

Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

May God give us hearts that can truly connect with each other in the good times and the bad. May we slide seamlessly between giving and receiving the support that is necessary to complete our journey well.