In Bible study at Family Camp we're discussing Max Lucado's book Before Amen, and Tuesday we were on the phrase of the pocket prayer, "I need help." Part of the discussion centered around the times when Jesus stopped to help someone because they asked. I was reminded of one of my prior blogs in which I stated that Jesus never saw people as an interruption to His ministry, because they were His ministry.
Thinking about it later, I realized that two thoughts frequently run through my mind. The first comes when I am feeling weak and needy and wanting to talk to someone, but I think, "I don't want to interrupt them when they have so many other people to help and tasks to complete, so I'll keep it to myself." That's probably not always the wisest of decisions.
The second recurring thought comes when someone wants to chitchat when I'm busy: "Why is this person interrupting me when I am clearly in the middle of something?" I know that's not a terribly loving response either. (An interruption came as I wrote that sentence.)
I guess it is pretty selfish to want others to meet my needs while I don't want to do the same. A refresher course on Jesus's perspective of people is in order. All people have value, and all people have needs. We all need someone to talk to, but we also need to be listeners for others. We all need wise counsel at times, and we can provide counsel for others in different areas of life. We all need to be loved, and we all need to give love. We shouldn't downplay our own needs out of some sense of being a burden to others. But neither should we refuse those who inconvenience us. Interruptions may be divine appointments.
One of the cultural difficulties that seems to be increasing over time is the specialization of professions. The more we learn about the human body, the harder it is to find the correct doctor to deal with a problem. You can be sent to five different specialists and never get an answer.
The same seems to be happening in the church. First came the clergy-laity divide, and now we have a different minister for every age group or area of need. A person can know they need help but not know where to turn to find answers or even to find someone willing to listen to them and pray for them. I don't think that's how God intended His Body to function. I know I've said it before and I'll say it again--we all have roles to play and we all need each other. I'm certain that pastors would not be so over-scheduled if the members of the Body were all doing their part.
Humility is the key. It takes humility to admit that I need help myself, but it also takes humility to remember that my agenda is not more important than someone else's. That's just lesson out of many during this week of camp.
1 Peter 5:6 (ESV)- "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you."
