So, I’ve spent the last 2 weeks remodeling and moving, and two weeks before that packing the old house. The last time Leslie and I bought a house and remodeled one was 6.5 years ago (let’s just round up to 7 because it sounds more epic). I was 6.5 years younger, working part-time at Starbucks, Leslie was the Sugar Momma, and we had no kids. All that to say, The second day into the remodel, I was beat. I’m talking straight-up-whipped….and if the Spirit is at WAR with the flesh (Gal. 5), the flesh was winning. My attitude, mouth, compassion, and love for anything sacred was in the dump as I inhaled Sheetrock dust deep into my lungs.
That’s when God’s underserving grace, mercy, and provision showed up through people. They painted, sheetrocked, wired, built a gate, moved, moved, moved, unpacked boxes, moved really heavy crates into the attic, etc. People were there until 12am at night with work looking over their shoulder the next morning.
Encouragement that we find in Hebrews 3:13 and 10:24-25 has a little different flavor than it did two weeks ago. Encouragement came through people just showing up and helping. It’s crazy how your whole attitude and outlook can change just by having someone next to you in a very hard time. They actually said nothing to encourage me, they were just there laboring beside me. I was thinking through all of the hours of labor that people saved me, and it was over a 40 hour work week. That’s bearing burdens. Thank you God for providing for me and my family through your people.
Who do you need to call today to encourage with words?
You may need to just show up and be there, not say anything, just to encourage…who’s the person?
God wants YOU to be the means through which HE provides for someone (see 2 Cor. 1, 8, 9).
