“Two are better than one;
because they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow:
but woe to him that is alone when he falleth;
for he hath not another to help him up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
We all need each other at different times and for different reasons. God didn’t create us to walk and work alone, carry our burdens and sorrows alone, or live life without the input, influence, and involvement of others. God created us to feed and flourish off the connections we make with family, friends, and those we work with and meet in our circles and communities. God said two are better than one because we can support and hold each other up. And, today, many of us need that more than ever.
Sometimes, however, showing hospitality to others has to take a back seat to the needs of your own family. When we’re spiritually depleted, fighting sickness, struggling to meet needs, going through personal difficulties, overwhelmed with work and responsibilities, hurt over relationships, or, just plain exhausted, we have to step back and focus on letting God renew our minds, hearts, and health with the rest and rejuvenation we need to carry on.
I just read a perfect example of this in Mark 6. After Jesus had been healing many sick people, and teaching multitudes, He sent the crowds away and went alone into the mountain to pray. We can see a number of times in the Gospels where Jesus took time to get away, spend time with His Father, find some peace and rest to renew Himself for the work He came to do. We have to do the same. We can’t go ninety to nothing every day and expect to maintain a spirit of hospitality, and minister to others when we’re out of gas.
Everyone finds themselves depleted at times, and I’ve been noticing that my husband and I are in this place. After a long year of accomplishing big projects, traveling, enjoying new experiences, getting over sicknesses, fighting the extreme summer heat, handling general responsibilities, and dealing with life’s daily issues, my husband and I need to spend some purposeful time with God and each other to regroup, refuel, and renew our spiritual and physical energy. While, we have always been there to help and encourage each other in the good and difficult times, we both feel that we are in a place where we need to pull aside. Right now, we are in a season where we need to spend quality time nurturing one another, focusing on some pressing needs, and sharing our spirit of hospitality with each other.
As we head into fall to finish out the planned activities and work for this year, we are taking a serious look at how we will be spending our time, and what God would have us do in the days and year ahead. The neat thing is that we can already feel Him renewing our spirits and strength.
“But they that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Praying for you as we grow together,
Smiles, BRC
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