Sorry I'm Late
An alcoholic friend of famed author and speaker Philip Yancey was once purported to have said:
When I'm late to church, people turn around and stare at me with frowns of disapproval. I get the clear message that I m not as responsible as they are.
But when I'm late to AA, the meeting comes to a halt and everyone jumps up to hug and welcome me. They realize that my lateness may be a sign that I almost didn t make it. When I show up, it proves that my desperate need for them won out over my desperate need for alcohol.
If AA can get this right, shouldn't we, as the Church, all the more get it right?
Let's focus on each other's victories, rather than shaming and guilting each other for our failures (whether real or presumed).
"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works" and faithfulness, and perseverance, and obedience, and ... (Hebrews 10:24, NLT).
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29, ESV).
Acting Crabby
Put a bunch of crabs in a bucket and you'll witness an interesting phenomenon. When one attempts to climb out of the bucket, the other crabs pull him back down.
Follow the link above to learn more about "Crab Mentality."
We see this same thing happen whenever a seeker begins to look for a way out of his hopeless life. Those who are in the same "bucket" reach out to pull him back. Even those who claim to have no interest in spiritual things will suddenly display a vested interest in holding him back. If there is no God, why should they care?
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10).
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30).
Additional Application:
From the blog page "Ridiculously Extraordinary":
"I’ve noticed myself doing this on occasion and it’s upsetting to think about. For example, somebody brings an idea to me and I immediately shoot it down. 'Ehh, I don’t think that will work.' And you know what? It might not. But who am I to shoot someone down?
"I’m supposed to be supportive of my friends, family, and business partners.
"So from now on, if a friend comes to me with an idea, instead of shooting it down if I think maybe it’s not doable I’ll say 'Hmm, I’m not sure I can help, but don’t listen to me. What steps can you take right now to make it happen? And how do you think I can help?'”
"Just think of the possibilities if we all supported those close to us in this way."
Rather, Paul tells us that we should, "Rejoice with those who rejoice" (Romans 12:15).
The Spider (Delivery) Man
When Demi Sweeney, a college student in England, was confronted by a spider on the wall of her apartment, she didn't know what to do. Terrified of the creature, there was no one nearby to help. That's when a friend on the phone suggested she call and order food delivery, in the hopes the driver would be willing to kill the offending arachnoid. She received the following message from the food delivery company she contacted:
"You can most certainly request this in the 'delivery note' section when placing your order,"... (adding a spider emoji for extra emphasis). The only thing is, our rider may be more afraid of spiders [sic] than you are..."
When the delivery driver appeared at her door 20 minutes later with her order of KFC, she begged, "Please, you have to help me – I only ordered food for your help."
After directing Joe, the delivery guy, to the problem, he climbed on a chair and caught the spider and flushed it down the toilet.
“I can’t believe the plan actually worked,” Sweeney wrote. “I thanked him so many times, I literally could have hugged him. He’s a hero.”
Most people are willing to help others when given the opportunity. The problem can be making sure those people are in our lives to begin with, so they’re there when we need them. This is one of the important roles of the local church. As our lives are allowed to overlap in fellowship with one another, we are already there to help and encourage each other as needs arise.
No need to call the delivery man!
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT).
“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16, NLT).