To Be A Part, Be A Part

Sunday’s Monday

I have had a great week this week and gotten a lot accomplished, thanks to my new temporary helper Pat Loftin. She worked with me this week and did well as we worked hard and had fun! We enjoyed a fourth of July at a cookout hosted by Charlie and Kim Loftin. Everything was wonderful! Thanks to all who attended and know we enjoyed spending time with you. To finish off the week we had lunch today to two of the dearest people one could meet, Joe and Linda Dillard. Thank you for being our friends.

Several times this week I’ve been involved in a conversation or overheard the statement, of being left out of things. Then this morning it resurfaced from my memory as if God was nudging me to address the situation. I immediately went to God’s word to study up and found that being left out is not conducive to human happiness or fulfillment. Genesis 2:18 (NLT), 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” God created us with a built in need to be with others. As a matter of fact, we have an emotional, physical and spiritual imperativeness to converse, confide and sometimes even compromise in order to fill the need of belonging. However, it is all for naught! We or at least I, developed a huge misunderstanding of being a part (a real, active, caring part) of anything. The old me had the idea, that being a part of something fell under my conditions and usually included (at best) my halfhearted participation. It never failed to baffle me as to why nothing ever seemed to work out or last long. Even though the bible spells it out I was too busy (being a part of my one-man club) to read it. And yes; before you ask, I was in church a lot of that time, and I used the same format for being a church member. “Not good!” Again, the answer for being a part of anything is found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT), 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. The key here is (if you read it carefully), I must be an active, dedicated and willing participant in order for things to work. As Pastor Joe Dillard teaches, to be a part, you must be a part! In simple terms, should I desire to be a part of another’s life, or an organization or anything, I must first have a desire, then be present, and finally become active. This will lead to becoming a part, whether it’s people, place or thing. I must admit, I had to go to the creator of this togetherness, being a part, feeling loved and needed “thing”, to learn how this was to work for me. God provided wonderful people as examples, as well He gave me a host of opportunities to practice and the beauty is He is still teaching me. I’ve learned that it’s a process and not just a lesson. It’s a life long journey, Philippians 3:12 (NLT), 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. I will mention one of the most monstrous pitfalls that I’ve faced, and still face is feeling left out. My pride suffers, my attitude sours and my resentment sores! However, should I curb my petty feeling long enough for God to reason with me then I discover that it’s my own insufficiencies at the root of my feelings. I’m feeling left out because I stopped being in! Allow me to share a dose of reality with you, if you don’t care, others won’t either! Life works best for all when we follow 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT), God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Remember to sow kindness and reap lots of friends. To borrow some words from the coffee commercial, the best part of waking up, is knowing you’re not alone! 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NLT), Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? To be a part, you must become a part. TODAY!!!!!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!

COMMENTS WELCOME…pal249@hotmail.com…07/08/2018