Getting by!

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I get by with a little help from friends. That was a line from an old Beatles song, but there’s a lot of truth contained therein. As of today I have been mobilized away from my family for 23 months. Its hard to fathom that it has been that long. I’m tired of being away. I love my job, but I love my family even more. I miss them and they miss me. One of the problems being mobilized brings is the normal household stuff that men like to do. I love to fix stuff and work with tools. My wife does not. Its not her lane, its mine. Imagine your home after the man of the house has not been there for more than 23 months. Weeds spring up, stuff gets worn out, repairs need to made and there’s no one there to do all that man stuff. We can’t just hire a man to hang around and do my husbandly duties(Amen to that!). So the house has suffered. Imagine that you want to simplify your life and sell your house that’s too big. But you have a problem, the house needs work to get presentable to sell. There are stumps in the yard, there’s junk to clean up, 20 years worth of junk. The landscaping has been reclaimed by the wild. The paint is chipping. And I can’t get to it. That’s where the hunting buddies come onto the scene like a quick reaction force. In the Bible Paul talks about the body of Christ as a literal body, with different parts. (See 1 Corinthians 12). The body is a miracle. It is so complex and its members function together. When we get injured the rest of the body overcompensates for the part that is wounded till healing occurs. It’s the same in the body of Christ. Right now, my family is wounded by this period of military separation, but today at my house other parts of the body came in to fill the void. I am grateful. They brought tools, a bobcat tractor and a servant's heart. They got a load of mulch to make things look tidy. The work they did in a few hours would have taken me days to accomplish and I just don’t have them. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my friends today. They do it with no reservations. They expect nothing in return, just the honor of service. Jesus modeled this attitude in his own life, by refusing to be served, but to serve and give his life for many. Its true, I do get by with a little help from my friends. Thanks guys!

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