Carry each other’s burdens, and in this
way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
GALATIANS 6:2
Anne-Marie could feel the stitch in her side as she drew each ragged breath. Ten more strides, now five, now two. She held her arm out and handed the baton to the runner waiting in front of her. “Go, go, go!” she yelled. Her friend, Misha, took the baton and began to run. Her pace was quick and her prospects good, if only because she was refreshed and ready to run. Anne-Marie bent over and filled her lungs in great gasps. She could not have run another step. Thank goodness, Misha had been ready.
That’s what teamwork is all about. As lovers of God, we carry the weight of responsibility to be there for our friends. We hand off to one another the care and love of our Father. When one is weary, the other is strong; when one is disheartened, the other believes. That’s the way God designed the system to work. We’re not supposed to run our races alone!
Sheryl experienced this firsthand. After a bout of illness in her family, her church and small Bible study group had taken turns visiting and bringing her family dinner. Now they had the opportunity to do the same as God blessed them with health and healing.
Like a well-trained, cross-country running team, we need to be refreshed and ready to run when the baton is handed our way. Yet we also need to be willing to receive when we can’t walk on our own. Loving and caring for one another is the light by which we see our God. It’s the best “warm fuzzy” in the world to know His love so intimately.
Is there someone you can love today? Someone who may need a card, a thought, a prayer? Or are you the one with the stitch in your side, ready to receive? In either case, allow yourself to reach out and be a part of the team that God has put together. We’re destined to win!