Thursday, December 15, 2011

You're Not an Island

If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. I Corinthians 12:26

Last spring, I was in Jamaica leading a mission team and we visited Dunn River Falls during a recreation day.  It is a beautiful natural water fall that visitors climb up.  We started at the bottom pool and began our trek up the falls.  It was cool and refreshing under the hot Jamaican sun.  We climbed to the 3rd pool and I looked to the left and saw a long line of people hand in hand climbing up in knee deep water along the edge.  When one of my team members gasped I spun to the right and saw our fearless leader climbing 25 feet up through torrents of rushing waters.  He appeared to be swallowed up in the falls, known as Neptune's Trial! Then one by one the team began to follow him.  I had a choice.  Take the easy route holding onto hands in knee deep water or be a strong and courageous leader and climb the sure death experience.  Well, not wanting to be known as a wimp I thought to myself, "It's a good day to die."  Trying to climb a slippery slope with no rope or safety harness at my age and in my out-of-shape condition was not the wisest thing I've ever done. Water was rushing in my mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.  I could not breathe. I felt a strong hand reaching down and pulling me up.  Whoo Hoo!  I made it to the top (with help from someone else)! 

                       
Through that incredible adventure God showed me that I could not make it through difficult times by myself, no matter how strong & independent I may feel.  He prepared me to seek out help when I was sitting at the Target parking lot sobbing so hard I couldn't breathe or when I had pennies in my pocket and a mound of bills to pay and food to buy. People are very gracious.  God laid it upon people's heart to bring me groceries or stuff cash in my hand in passing.

You are not an island, going it alone. My Jamaican island experience taught me this.  Reach out to people when you have need.  What's the worst they can do?  Refuse to help? Find someone else.  There has not been a single person who refused to help me or find the help I needed in my time of crisis.  We hinder God's provisional hand simply because we think we are strong enough to do it alone!

Help me, Lord, to depend on You and others during my time
of deep sorrow and great need. 
Thank You for bringing others into my life.

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