No man is an island

"comfort and edify each other,

just as you are doing"

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Lately, when I read in my free time (as opposed to Bible study, pleasure Bible reading, and trying to stay one chapter ahead of Awesome Boy in the book I'm having him read for school) I'm reading an autobiography.   I was reading today about the author's early teen years, in the 1960's, when he had a job delivering the city newspaper.  At that time, the paper was still doing an Evening Edition, which he would deliver when he got home from school.

On November 22, 1963, at 12:30 in the afternoon, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  The announcement was made at the author's school, and the students and faculty were dismissed to head home, in shocked silence.

When he arrived home, he sat down to wait for the shipment of newspapers to arrive, after which he would take them door to door.  But by the time the truck arrived with the newspapers, the neighbors were lined up.  Instead of delivering their newspapers that day, he handed them out, one at a time.

The thing that struck me about this little vignette, was the vision of people lining up in front of his house.  They came to him, in a time of grief and sorrow, because he had what they wanted, which in this case was information.  And I thought, we ~ Christians ~ should be like that.  In painful or stressful times, people should be drawn to us, knowing ~ either consciously or unconsciously ~ that we have what they want:  peace, or encouragement or comfort.  Because we know the Source.  And we should be drawn to each other.  I don't know about you, but when my life gets stressful, I tend to "circle the wagons".  Shut out anything that's not vital, and concentrate on just getting through the day.  Focus on my family ~ Awesome Girl, Amazing Boy, and my hubby, the Apple of my Eye ~ and try to tune out everything else.  But others can offer what we lack.  That's what fellowship is all about.

Pray that you will be equipped to be the light and salt that others need, then pray that He will lead the needy to you.

~ "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls, 

For he has no one to help him up." ~

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10