Last week I was preparing to give a speech at my sister-in-law’s wedding. As my mind turned to 1 Corinthians 13 for inspiration – a ‘typical wedding reading’ – I was struck again by Paul’s incredible words about love which ‘believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things’ (v7 NAS). Whatever it is we are preparing for in the months ahead – perhaps a new role, a new school, a change in our family, a new home location (etc.), or ‘just’ staying the same – this remains an immense challenge. I wonder if we might take some encouragement and direction from a commitment given by those who come into membership at a church in Washington state, USA (whether or not we are people of faith)? What follows is a promise mutually given by the existing members of the congregation and by new adherents:
‘You’ll never knowingly suffer at my hands. I’ll never knowingly say or do anything to hurt you. I’ll always, in every circumstance, seek to help and support you. If you’re down and I can lift you, I’ll do that. If you need something and I have it, I’ll share it with you. If I need to, I’ll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you, no matter what happens in the future – either good or bad – my commitment to you will never change. And there’s nothing you can do about it!’
This is truly revolutionary and life changing! Dare we embrace such an approach in our day-to-day lives – in our workplaces, our homes. If not, dare I ask myself (and yourself), why not? It’s easy, perhaps, to say that this approach is unrealistic but it has clearly worked for the aforementioned church (membership rose from a handful to over 4,000 in a matter of a few years). It certainly worked for the Early Church in the First Century which ‘had everything in common‘ (Acts 2) and gave to anyone who had need – freely. My personal challenge, taken from the church commitment above, is this: If you’re down and I can lift you, I’ll do that. What will yours be?
AJ Reid Writes 