Once again I'm flying back to California, this time from visiting my family for eleven wonderful days celebrating my baby sister's sixteenth birthday. It was a refreshing time to say the least and it definitely went by way too fast.
As I was flying over Nevada, I finally had a window seat (after a stopover in Las Vegas), and I saw the beautiful mountainous desert terrain from the air. While it was breath-taking from my vantage point, all I could think about was those pioneers and settlers long ago who had to make the trek I was making in a few short hours over many months. I did not envy their grueling days and sleepless nights to make it over those mountains to the "promised land" of the West. While I was pondering their plight, a chorus we used to sing in my house church came to mind.
We are pilgrims on the journey
We are travelers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load
We are travelers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load
This song is called the Servant Song and we used to sing it as kind of the theme of our church when I lived in Missouri. It is a really important song to me, not just because it reminds me of good friends and fellowship, but because it has helped me see the Church for what it is supposed to be. Church isn't a club people attend on Sunday morning or even a building or a place of worship. It is the Body. It is a Family. It is One in unity and in Spirit and in Truth.
This truth was made so evident to me this month in so many ways. At the beginning of July, my appendix ruptured and I had to go to the hospital for a few days. It was a little scary, being so far from my family, but you know what? The Lord provided in an incredible way. I had my church family surround me in this time like I would have never believed. They stayed with me in the hospital, drove me home, visited me, and made sure I was well taken care of. The beginning of the Servant Song has a line that always sticks with me. "Brother let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant too." I like serving people, I like helping people, but I suppose in my sinful pride, I really dislike being served and helped. It takes humility to accept love from others, but it's that humility that fosters the unity necessary (and often lacking) in the Body of Christ.
So I ask you to remember, as I have to be reminded so often, that we are all in this together. Plain and simple, it is a sin for believers to go on fighting one another and arguing over silly things like speaking in tongues or wine vs. grape juice or any other pointless controversies. Let's be "united in one hear and mind" and show the world how our wonderful and powerful Savior can overcome even the biggest differences.
If you're still reading this, I wanted to add a shameless plug. I just finished reading the book Insanity of God by Nik Ripken. Please please read it. It's 15 bucks. It won't break you (I promise) to go out right now, buy it and read it. You can probably finish it in a couple sittings. It won't break your wallet, but it will break your heart (I hope) and challenge you in a way that maybe you have been seeking. Please read it and get back to me with your thoughts. I'm eager to discuss it with other believers who have read it! That is all! :)
