Working Together

Working Together

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

I got the call on a Thursday morning while I was visiting my parents’ home. My husband was far away, and he sounded discouraged, his voice strained. As my children flitted around me like so many butterflies, unaware of the danger of a coming storm, I sat down on my mother’s couch, gripped my phone tightly, and held on.

Something had happened at work, a situation beyond our control. Although I knew things could and would work out, in that moment, I felt crushed in the talons of fear’s unrelenting grip.

When the call ended, I looked up to see my sister and mom staring back at me sympathetically. The three of us prayed and talked, and I smiled—but inside, I felt sick with the worry and the waiting.

It was on my way home that I gave in. Feeling brokenhearted and brave, I pulled the car into a parking lot and posted a message on our church ladies’ Facebook page, typing through my tears to a group of women whom I consider friends:

My family could really use your prayers today. I can’t give more details but would covet prayers for peace and wisdom, especially in the next twenty-four hours.

And then, miraculously, the outpouring began. My phone began to ding repeatedly with more than fifty texts and Facebook messages from friends, each one a prayer, an expression of love and concern. And every time I heard another message from a friend arrive, I felt the cloud of misery dissipating a little bit more. I felt the hard-won peace I had pleaded for edging out circumstances that, on their own and within my own power, felt overwhelming and insurmountable.

God designed us to live in community. We are not meant to function alone, struggling to face the challenges of life by ourselves. Instead, together we represent the collective body of Christ, part and parcel of a whole that must work together in concert to accomplish his will. As friends who form a faith community, we are stronger together.

— Kristin

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Reach out to a friend in your faith community, thanking them for the contributions they bring to the collective body of Christ.