How do we not fall down?
Okay, that’s an easy one. We place both feet on the floor and hold our back erect. But for some people, it’s not so simple. A head injury can knock us for a permanent loop, and every time we get to our feet, the world swirls around us.
Other times, infections, medications, or low blood pressure can cause us to sway and topple.
Then there are muscular disorders and skeletal problems, such as arthritis. We fall down for all sorts of reasons.
One reason none of us can escape is age. As we grow more experienced in life, and we seem to gain control of our money, our emotions, and our empathy toward others, our body begins to give way, and we tumble to the ground more and more easily.
How can we be so surprised when a mature Christian occasionally tumbles away from Christ and has to be picked up, brushed off, and put on her feet again?
We need to be the buttress against which others may lean so that no one falls too far towards the ground. We need to be standing stones for our Christian brothers and sisters so that our weaknesses don’t become our waywardness.
1 Timothy 3:15 tells us:
“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”
A pillar and a buttress of truth. A standing stone. A bulwark against which others can lean in their times of weakness, so they might stand again when they’ve regained their sense of balance.
The scripture goes on to tell us:
“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”
If we decide to take our ease and lie down on the job, we’ve failed our fellow Christians. It’s in standing tall that we provide support for those who need us most.
The question becomes, How? How can we become that rigid tower, that walking stick, that steel walking aid that gets our brothers and sisters to the other side?
Let’s think about what causes our balance problems. Almost every reason comes back to our ears. Our body relies on a series of tubes in our ears to keep us upright. That’s right, our ears.
When we tell people words of support, we become their walking cane. When we listen to them pour out their hearts, we turn into a rigid tower. When we let them hear our spoken words of praise to our Holy Father in heaven, we are a standing stone against which they can lean in their time of weakness.
When we stand close to the Christians at our side, our shoulders will ensure no one ever falls away from the loving arms of Jesus.
Copyright © 2015 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.H.15.15.vp.esv
Originally Published 12-16-15 in Relationships