The same body

"Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, {and} those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." Hebrews 13:3

This is the amazing sympathetic kindness that many have shown to us during this time. I am continually nonplussed by the number of people who tell us that they pray for us every day and who demonstrate so much care for us. At first, I just thought that they had serious spiritual discipline in their prayer life, and a serious list of petitions. I thought that maybe for those looking to serve someone, we were a relatively easy target. Still, I was amazed that we made the list with so many people we don't know.

But now, I am beginning to see that for some reason God has laid us on many peoples hearts, that for some reason, whether in prayer or not, we come to mind. How can people we don't know feel for us so deeply? Because of God's grace. Until now I have been considering how we can shown thanks to everyone who has helped us (because we can't even begin to pay them back). Now, it comes to me strongly that every blessing is directly from God.

Ben and I are not crushed. In fact, we're not anywhere close. Why? Because of the emails, the meals, the prayers, the visitors, the help with rides and housework. All of this is a blessing directly from God, which so many of his servants have been willing and cheerful to carry out. It comes to me that for some reason it is more fruitful in Ben and I's growth to abundantly provide for us than to bring us to a point of desolation and squalor. Many other people have been tried far beyond this, because God saw that it was good. However, God has seen that it is good to make us cared for by his people. I think we'll have a lot to live up to later. After all, God's people are blessed so that they might be a blessing.

--Lisa

By the way, we're actually have a kind of bad day, although now I'm all cheered up :) I completely missed the wedding of an old friend by not checking the time & Ben is having a decent amount of ichy chemo side effects. Perspective will come some day, though.