“Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only” (Philippians 4:14-15, ESV).
Did you notice there was a Heart to Heart missing last week? I was the one assigned to write it. It just so happened I was scheduled to write it on the worst week I had experienced in many years. There was a build up of a lot of stressful events in my life culminating in me sitting on the stairs of my home loudly sobbing. In that moment I felt crushed and defeated by all the compounding circumstances I was experiencing in my life and felt as though there was no clear path forward.
But I was blessed to have my wife and Rev. Kingston there at the time. They both consoled me in my moment of pain. After I had calmed down and had time to think throughout the day I could not help but be amazed by how incredible of a situation I am in. In spite of everything that was going on around me, I was still a part of a wonderful, loving, supporting church community, having loving and understanding friends, and of course my wonderful family who walk with me in everything. With this realization, I received a great sense of calm.
Have you ever felt what I felt? Feeling secured because you are surrounded by people who will love and support you in your darkest hours? In my dark hour, this church family was there for me. Not everyone even needed to actively reach out to me, there was a peace in even knowing people would care if I had told them. This security I felt is one we must extend to everyone in our lives. The Bible states Christians will be known by their love and in Philippians 4, Paul expresses his gratitude to the Philippian church right after exclaiming he can “do everything through Christ who strengthens [him]” because they walked beside him in his times of need.
We are a community of truth, however we are also a community of compassion. We can extend compassion to another because we know what it is like to have our bad days. Let us be there for one another even if we are the only ones. Let us be the ones to extend our hands when being aware of another’s hour of need.
Stephen Lee
July 14, 2024