Circle of Support
Last week, Steve and I traded in the heat of Fort Worth for the muggy beauty of Pass Christian Mississippi – pretty comparable temperature wise, yet with a gentle breeze off the bay of St Louis.
Two weeks before we left, I convinced Steve to ride bikes with me. And while the idea was awesome, I didn’t have the ability to match his pace or his endurance. While he was very kind about it, I was quite disappointed. Over the next week or so, I added running and biking to my morning routine to prepare for our time in Mississippi.
Each morning at the beach, Steve has gone out for a run with me.
We have a system. We leave from the same place, going the same direction. Steve sets the timer in his watch and then we take off. Since he is quite a bit faster than me, this allows him to run at his pace and cover more distance. When his timer goes off, he stops, turns around, and walks toward me. I do my best to run until we meet allowing me to add to my distance and time.
On hazier mornings, I couldn’t always tell where he was since he was so far ahead of me. I would make out an object and hope that was Steve using that as my beacon to provide a focus point.
Having Steve partner with me in this way is so helpful for my health journey. He provides community, motivation, an example, and a helpful resource.
I realized today that fellow Christians do that for me and other believers each day as well. They go before us, serving as a sign post, helping us keep our bearings, and pointing the way to go. There are believers who may be further along (or faster) in their discipleship journey – quickly forgiving, speaking honestly, denying selfish ambition or generously serving, etc.
These human examples encourage us to keep working out our faith (Phil 2:12-13) reminding us that the Holy Spirit is at work helping us become more of the person God created us to be (Phil 2:13).
As we allow other believers to know our spiritual hopes, goals and struggles, we open our lives for transformation. The prayers, wisdom, and experience they offer help ease and direct our journey. They remind us of God’s faithfulness, His presence, and His healing, God is still working miracles in lives of believers today. He is setting people free from anxiety, fear and grief. He is giving hope to the hopeless and healing the broken-hearted.
We need other believers in our lives that spur us on. We are also essential in the lives of others. God provides this circle of support and calls it the church, the small group, the cord of strands that is not quickly broken.
So friends, I need you. I need you to help me grow in my faith, share Jesus’ love with others, and stand up against injustice. And I covet the opportunity to encourage you. As well. Today, let us set out to run the race marked before us, and May we endure to His glory! (1 Cor 9:24-27)