We need to pray that all is ok. I can’t believe that she hasn’t been in contact with someone here. She seemed excited about family coming on her last post in Dec.
When my cousin invited me to join him to fish for crawdads (crayfish), I couldnt help but be excited. I grinned when he handed me a plastic pail. No lid?
You wont need one, he said, picking up the fishing rods and the small bag of chicken chunks wed use for bait.
Later, as I watched the small crustaceans climbing over one another in a futile attempt to escape the almost-full bucket, I realized why we wouldnt need a lid. Whenever one crawdad reached the rim, the others would pull it back down.
The plight of the crawdads reminds me how destructive it is to be selfishly concerned about our own gain instead of the benefit of a whole community. Paul understood the need for uplifting, interdependent relationships when he wrote to the believers in Thessalonica. He urged them to warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, and be patient with everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
Commending their caring community (v. 11), Paul spurred them toward even more loving and peaceful relationships (vv. 1315). By striving to create a culture of forgiveness, kindness, and compassion, their relationships with God and others would be strengthened (vv. 15, 23).
The church can grow and witness for Christ through this kind of loving unity. When believers honor God, committing to lift others up instead of pulling them down with words or actions, we and our communities thrive.
Always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.