40 Days of Purpose Day 19

Cultivating Community


We are blessed that as believers we have a community (although we may not realise this all the time…) Where would we honestly be without it? I thought back to last year when things were going really badly for us as a family and was reminded of honesty within fellowship.

You’ve heard the saying “smile, things could be worse” only for you to smile and things got worse. Well that was an apt description of my prayer life. Daniel’s problems were getting increasingly worse and the tin lid on it for me was when I was told that he needed oxygen 24 hours a day. Before some smart alec tells me we all do, not everyone has to have it via tubes up their nose and have their own portable oxygen cylinder. To say that I was in a state when I took him home from hospital with all his kit is an absolute understatement. I was asked whether I wanted him to be adopted!! I was full of self-pity and very destructive in my thinking towards God. A close friend had the courage to gently tell me that my thinking wasn’t actually that healthy. That person was particularly brave especially when they had to hear what is wrong with my world continuously (they must have been practising their patience with extremely irritating people!!) At the time, I wasn’t very receptive to what was said to me but it did register. It stopped my attitude spiralling totally into complete unbelief as I can remember being outraged by what was said. To think that this happened under a year ago is a wonderful testimony to God. Back then I would not have felt that I could be so uplifted and am back on track with my journey, knowing God better. The friend could have taken the easy way out but didn’t and was gentle and gracious enough to me for me to rethink my behaviour.

Honesty may not be easy but it is essential. The challenge for me on this is how to be patient with others and not adopt the bull in a china shop approach which is my second nature.

Daniel has a number of care plans I was delighted to see that a comment had been written by the nurse about the fact that our family is supported by our church community. Elim as a community of God’s people has given me significant blessings.