Faith Words: Within reach

About two weeks ago, I fell and dislocated my right shoulder.  If you've ever been in a position where one of your arms is disabled, you understand how frustrating these past two weeks have been.  To get an idea of how hard life is without use of your right arm, try wrapping it in a sling close to your body where it can't move.  Add some significant pain and you'll understand.  It's difficult, if not impossible, to do some things for yourself that you're used to doing pretty much without thinking.  Even now that my arm has begun to heal, so many things are out of reach.

My left arm has been getting a workout but without my precious husband, I don't know how I'd have managed: helping me dress, buckling my seat belt, taking me everywhere I need to go, bringing me food and drink, pulling up the covers in bed, putting everything on my good side so I could reach it.  And all with great patience, tenderness, and love.

But it hasn't been easy.  I'm pretty stubborn, self-sufficient and proud.  I've had to realize how helpless I am on my own and how much I need him.  I've had to humble myself enough to accept his help, to ask him for help, to call him to come help me.  How would I get along without him in my life?

Just like I can't get along around here without John, I also can't get along without God.  From the moment in the garden when sin dislocated our relationship with God, we've been helpless on our own to be able to reach for what we need most - Him.  But just like John doesn't leave me all alone to fend for myself, our dear Father has designed a plan to do for us what we can no longer do for ourselves.

God provided the thing we needed most - a Savior.  Jesus Christ came to restore the dislocated relationship between God and man, so it can once again be what God intended it to be from the beginning, before we stubbornly went our own way (Ephesians 2:13).  Our Lord patiently provides what we need as we need it - everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).  He deals with us tenderly having lived as a man and having felt the weakness we contend with everyday (Hebrews 4:15).

We're helpless to provide for ourselves what we need.  We have to realize that we can't save ourselves, that we need God.  We have to humble ourselves and call on Him to help us.

We serve a God who loves us and sympathizes with us, One who serves us and puts what we need most - Him - close by.  He's placed Himself where we can get to Him whenever we need Him.  He's always within reach.

Amazed,

Patrice

Deuteronomy 30:11, 14 (NIV)

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach....No, the word is very near you: it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.