I’ve Found this to Be Helpful . . .

Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.” 2 Kings 7:9

In preparation for today’s blog, I asked my wife and daughter to think of some beneficial experience they’ve had, which they’d recommend to others. My wife said that performing acts of service has helped her get out of her own head. When helping others navigate some life difficulty, my wife has experienced an improvement in her own mood. This was a healthy experience for my wife, so she feels obligated to encourage others to do likewise.

My daughter reported that the experience of owning a cat has improved her life. She said that caring for a cat has taught her responsibility and she’s found that the constant presence of a loving roommate has provided emotional support. Pet ownership is something that she’d recommend to others because it’s had a positive impact on her life.

When we experience something healthy, which has been beneficial to us, we can and should desire to encourage others to do the same. This is illustrated in today’s passage, which tells of four lepers who were on the verge of starvation. Exiled from the city of Samaria, these lepers found themselves in a tough spot when the Syrian army besieged the city. Desperate for food, the lepers approached the Syrian camp, hoping for mercy. Instead, they found the camp deserted. God had struck the army with a supernatural fear and the army fled, leaving behind food and supplies. The four men gorged themselves with food but then realized they needed to share this news with the starving city. To keep it to themselves would have been utterly selfish.

So it is with our faith and recovery. If God has saved us from ourselves, and if we’ve enjoyed the new life he’s provided, then we have a responsibility to share that with others who also need it. First though, we must experience the new life. Many of us believe in God but still find ourselves stuck in the old life. Our first responsibility then, is to do whatever it takes to abandon our way to follow Christ. In doing so, we’ll find the blessed new life. Then, once we’ve tasted the goodness of it, we must share it with others who desperately need it.