Platitudes vs Investment

Platitude: a statement that expresses an idea that is not new. 1:  the quality or state of being dull or insipid  2:  a banal, trite, or stale remark

Investment: an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.

The Word of God tells us that believers are actually brothers and sisters in Christ. The Word tells us that we are to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). The Word implies that we are our brother’s keeper (Genesis 4). We can also conclude from several passages in the Word as well as from how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate to one another, that we are to live in intimate community with one another. Further, we understand that it is especially important to build intimate relationship so that we have a support system that provides wise counsel and partnership in the midst of life’s challenges.

Over the last decade or so, I have been blessed to observe and experience the investment in my life and the lives of others by my brothers and sisters in Christ - ones who have walked alongside me and others through cancer (or other) diagnoses, divorce, the loss of a parent or spouse, troubles with children, and even conflict within the body of believers. These wonderful men and women have chosen to not simply utter platitudes in an attempt to fire off a word of wisdom and move on; no, they have settled in for the ride. They have prayed, sat in the hospital from sun up to sun down, cared for children in the absence of their parents, rallied the community for various acts of support, cleaned houses, cooked meals, tended to the ill, and done many other things.

As we discussed yesterday, life is hard. We face many challenges. It is so much better and it is the Lord’s desire for us to be able to face both the everyday and the monumental challenges with a few loved ones who care for and support us.

Ecclesiastes 12:9-12 reads: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

That third strand that Solomon refers to is our Lord. He is at the center of relationship between believers.

So, my beloved, may I encourage you to invest in the life of someone who needs your loving kindness…your wisdom…your strength? May I encourage you to (appropriately) allow the concerns of your life to take a back seat to the concerns of someone else? When we do this for one another, we find that each of our burdens become lighter and we can walk through this life with an increased measure of spiritual, mental, and emotional agility – a worthwhile result.