Originally published Wednesday, 09 September 2015.
I’m certain you don’t need me to tell you that relationships are hard. You don’t need to hear they are precarious and sometimes the ground between “point A” and “point B” is slippery. If you’ve ever met another human, you probably already gleaned that from experience.
One time, in the dead of winter, my friend and I decided we wanted a treat from Dairy Queen. On our way, we walked out of her mother’s house onto the back deck where my friend lost her footing on a piece of ice and fell flat on her back. Now, for those of you who don’t know me beyond the blog, I should probably inform you that in real life when someone falls, after I know they are okay, I have an issue with uncontrollable laughter. It’s a problem.
This happened twenty years ago, and I can still see her face while lying there waiting for me to reach out and lend a hand. I laughed so hard that I couldn’t, for the life of me, find the strength to help her stand up. Jokingly, she said I suffered from a severe case of weak arm. It was a correct diagnosis.
The best part of the story might be that her mother opened the back door of the house to see what all the commotion was, and when she realized what had happened she just rolled her eyes, turned around, and shut the door behind her. She knew we were two, crazy girls and that silliness often got the best of us.
Unfortunately, there are some relationships that refuse to survive icy conditions.
Metaphorically speaking, pieces of ice in relationships can lead to damage that no one is able to laugh at. All parties involved find themselves injured, and the only hope of getting back on ones feet is prayer. Good, old fashioned, down on our knees kind of prayer.
Above, I used the word precarious. According to Merriam Webster, the origin of the word is Latin – precarius – It means obtained by entreaty, uncertain – more at prayer.
can you believe it? MORE AT PRAYER.
Friend, relationships take prayer. Even when things are at their best, we must pray. That way when they reach their worst, we are ready for the battle. Prayer also creates intimacy between people. There is something about seeking the living God for another human life that holds eternal value so deeply, that the ties of love have no choice but to bind.
We must be bound in love: love that only comes through Jesus, flowing down in the form of grace.
There is so much pain in the world right now. Those of us in the body of Christ need to recognize there are powers and principalities that would love to pull brothers and sisters of Christ apart.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
-James 4:10
Humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord also means humbling ourselves to each other. We need to look beyond today and think about the eternal value in our situations.
No one likes it, because sometimes we’ve done nothing wrong, however, God calls us to lessen the diameter of our worlds, that He might become larger than anything residing in it, around it, and even floating high above it.
I rented a movie over the weekend and in one particular scene, the son asks the father, “Do you believe in God?” The father replied, “I’m dying… what choice do I have?”
Friend, we should never wait for things to completely crumble before we begin to humble. (Click to tweet.)
It might sound cheesy, but it’s truth.
If you’re having an issue today with someone who has hurt you and can’t find it in yourself to reach out to them, pray for them. Pray blessing, hope, and love to bond all things holy in their life.
Life is precarious… pray harder.
Love,
Jennifer
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