Touch the fringe

J. Dudley Weaver, Jr.   writes a great piece in his post – The Face of Hope. He captures well the essence of hope and how it gives us hope in our pursuit of Christ.

Ever wonder why we cannot fake desperate – it may be because we have never been in a situation where we have tried everything possible and nothing works.  Maybe that is why we see more miracles in our southern hemisphere these days – they have no hope but Jesus – there are no other options.

When Jesus fed the 5,000, we are not told the teachings that Jesus shared but the healing was emphasized and it was a massive event filled with hope.  The crowds around Jesus are a testament to the message of hope He was proclaiming. 

May we be not just a comfortable community, but a community that

strives to bring the comfort and hope of Jesus Christ to a hurting world.

And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. – Mark 6:56

Neighbour or friend is better

The Christian will form his closest friendships with men who share his faith in Christ and his hope of immortality. Such friends will continue to be our friends in the realms that lie beyond death. (R. W. Dale, LL.D.)

 

It can be used to motivate people to become involved in the physical and emotional assistance of members of the community who, for example, have lost a loved one. In the Zulu culture in South Africa friends and family are encouraged to visit those who have lost a loved one. Those who sympathize can assist in cooking, give advice on what to do next, maintain a state of calm and hope for the bereaved family and even spend the night with the family until the night vigil that is on the eve of the day of the burial. Professor Willie van Heerden, University of South Africa

 

and yes it still sucks, but don’t make that about you. Yes it hurts for a bit, but let that hurt heal…don’t linger in it, don’t pine after what isn’t. Celebrate what is. That is you. All of you. Every ounce, every tear, every anxiety and every glimmer of hope. Be the full you that you are meant to be. If your friends want the absolute best for you, why shouldn’t you? Be the amazing you and don’t let that crappy relationship be even a distant memory for you to dwell on. Sara Stacy

 

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
Before our Father’s throne,
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
Our comforts, and our cares.
We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.
When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again. – Sara Groves

 Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent; do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is nearby than kindred who are far away. – Proverbs 27:10