There are two favorite promises that I can think of at the moment: "Come to me all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 28:11.
These words had a profound impact on me when I first began attending church as a young mother of two small children many years ago. I did indeed feel heavy burdened in those days. My reaction was along the lines of, "Wait, there's someone here who knows me and understands me and is offering help." And yes, I now know that the above words - Jesus' promise to be with me, to ease my heavy load - to have been absolutely true, my whole life.
The other promise that means a lot to me - quite possibly my favorite words in the whole Bible - is: "God... upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and befriends the stranger..." Deuteronomy 10:18
I just love this. Having grown up without a father, this promise seems to be speaking directly to me. I have come to realize that indeed, God has been with me all along, that on so many levels, God was the only father I ever had. In fact, one of the Hebrew names I took for myself at my conversion was Aviyah, which means God is my father. In recent years I have also come to realize that my earthly father has also been closer than I realized, too.
In God's promise to care for the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger in a special way, I believe that God is also modeling for us the way that he wants us to care for the vulnerable in the world.
Dear God, please grant me the strength and the courage to care for others the way you care for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment