He had left for church and on his way stopped in to get a donut. If you could see how big his truck is, you'd know why he avoids drive thrus! Toooo big to maneuver through them. So anyway, when he made his sugary purchase and returned to the truck, it didn't start. And that's when I got the call. Thank God he was not broken down in the middle of a main road, like a few weeks ago!!! (Yes, that was scary! Drive shaft dropped mid-road! He was okay, thank God!)
The other kiddos and I were loading up already to head to church so we made the detour into Shipleys (which by the way, soooo much better than Dunkin Donuts!!), and you can imagine the delight that erupted in my car! They didn't even notice their brother's huge white truck being there, or remember that he was going to stop by. All they could imagine was DONUT HEAVEN!!! (We hardly ever buy donuts so their delight and shock was genuine! LOL)
To their disappointment, we pulled into the space by big boy's truck and connected the batteries and gave him a jump. It took a few minutes to figure out which wires were loose before it started up, but it did. We were all good to go yet now late. I hurried up and got back in the car and started driving to church, with no time for a drive through to get a "sugary delight." Yes, you can imagine the disappointment. But, we had gone there for a purpose and it was not for donuts.
As we were driving off, my little guy who is 7 years old said, "Mom, why did you have to hook up to his truck?" "He needed me to jump his battery so he could keep going. My battery was full and his was empty. If we didn't stop and help him, he would have just stayed there and missed church."
God uses us in the same way. We need eachother to help "jump start" each other when we are "empty." We all go through days or seasons where we "run out of juice" in our batteries. We are at a stand still and find ourselves unable to "go another mile." Certainly God leads us through periods of rest and waiting but being at a complete stop, or being "broken down" along the road is something completely different. We know it in our spirits when we have reached that place of fumes and eventual emptiness. We push as far as we think we can (even when we are functioning in the Lord's strength of Philippians 4:13....and it's a whole other blog about doing things in our own strength and how quickly we will hit "empty) but even those times we are giving our everything to the Lord and relying on His strength, we can still find ourselves exhausted and running on what feels like "fumes" until that day we finally register "empty."
It is then, that God sends us someone to "charge" our batteries. While our "battery" is empty, theirs is full and able to give us a much needed "charge." Sometimes it's a simple smile or a hug that can brighten our day. A lunch/coffee invite, a kind word or deed done for us or on our behalf. Blessings and gratefulness begin to overwhelm us. We didn't think we could go any further. We felt empty and abandoned and then there arrives the Lord's sweet reminder that we certainly are not alone, unusable or truly empty, we just need a "jump start" from someone with a full battery! There may even be days or seasons you have to move around some "wires" and tighten up the "connections" before your "battery" will receive the "full charge." Patient endurance!
How important to remember that there is a purpose for living in community with each other! We "charge" and "sharpen" (Proverbs 27:17) one another when we pray and fellowship together. We must be careful to avoid getting side tracked by the "sugary delights" all around us in our relationships with each other. It is very easy to just have fun, talk about fun things, discuss the world events, sip coffee, share our latest Pinterest finds...all the while, forgetting the fact we are pulled over in the space next to someone who's "battery" needs a charge.
If you are running on "fumes" or you can feel the "charge" in your "battery" slowly beginning to grow weak, be encouraged that God has not left you alone in that space. He will send rescue but you need to be ready and waiting with eager anticipation looking for it. If your "hood" is not open, I cannot reach your "battery." As a Believer, you already have the power of the Holy Spirit within you but you can quench His power to work in you. How are your "connections?" Are you dwelling in God's Word? Who is the source of your strength? Whose truth are you relying on? God sends "others" to "jump start" us. We are all at different places on our journey and thank God so that when we "break down" we can call for someone else to give us a "jump" so we don't just stay there and miss church!!
"And so, from the day we heard,we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patiencewith joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:9-14
Sweet post. Love the verses. :) just what I've been praying.
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