The words were troublesome, 'the television is my friend'. At one level I understood what was being said, the television provides a way to pass the day; but the words also expressed a profound sense of loneliness. Days had become long, the routine was monotonous and life was not the same since the passing of spouse and the decline of health that often comes with aging. This scenario repeats itself hundreds of times each day in our communities—such is the plight for many who quietly lament, 'this is not the way I thought it would be'.
I began to reflect on how easily I can get caught up in my own little world and fail to cherish the treasures that are all around me – the people God places in my life. How often do I have good intentions to reach out to the people I care about, and even to bless the stranger who may cross my path, but I am hurrying from one task to another and my good intentions do not always translate into a knock on the door or phone call that is long overdue.
As I thought about this reality in my own life, my thoughts turned to the church, the place of 'the gathered'; a community of people who are called to enter into each other’s lives. I soon found myself hearing the words that we hear often at Valley, 'we have so much opportunity to do good'; especially as we invest into those treasures God has put in our lives.
I know from interacting with many of you, there are people in our lives, family near and far, neighbors and brothers and sisters in the Lord that we can come alongside to bless and encourage. A visit over a cup of coffee, an invitation to share a meal, a phone call simply to ask, 'how are you doing', a card or note or a secret act of kindness can go a long way to encourage the hearts and lift the spirits of those who may be feeling tired, or lonely or afraid.
Encourage one another and build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
But...I have to make the time, pick up the phone, or follow through on a prompting to take action; and sometimes, my intentions are good but I don’t always follow through as I might desire. I wonder if any of you can relate? I wonder too how our community of faith might be different if we collectively raised the bar at Valley and said to one other, 'in this place we will seek to cherish the treasures God has given us'. I wonder too, how the lives of those we love, those who are part of the family of God, and even the stranger among us might be enriched if we continually learn to cherish the treasures we have been given.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10)
I began to reflect on how easily I can get caught up in my own little world and fail to cherish the treasures that are all around me – the people God places in my life. How often do I have good intentions to reach out to the people I care about, and even to bless the stranger who may cross my path, but I am hurrying from one task to another and my good intentions do not always translate into a knock on the door or phone call that is long overdue.
As I thought about this reality in my own life, my thoughts turned to the church, the place of 'the gathered'; a community of people who are called to enter into each other’s lives. I soon found myself hearing the words that we hear often at Valley, 'we have so much opportunity to do good'; especially as we invest into those treasures God has put in our lives.
I know from interacting with many of you, there are people in our lives, family near and far, neighbors and brothers and sisters in the Lord that we can come alongside to bless and encourage. A visit over a cup of coffee, an invitation to share a meal, a phone call simply to ask, 'how are you doing', a card or note or a secret act of kindness can go a long way to encourage the hearts and lift the spirits of those who may be feeling tired, or lonely or afraid.
Encourage one another and build each other up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
But...I have to make the time, pick up the phone, or follow through on a prompting to take action; and sometimes, my intentions are good but I don’t always follow through as I might desire. I wonder if any of you can relate? I wonder too how our community of faith might be different if we collectively raised the bar at Valley and said to one other, 'in this place we will seek to cherish the treasures God has given us'. I wonder too, how the lives of those we love, those who are part of the family of God, and even the stranger among us might be enriched if we continually learn to cherish the treasures we have been given.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10)
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