A Little Bit Further Along
“Serve him shoulder to shoulder.”
Zephaniah 3:9 (NIV)
Photo courtesy of photographer Martha Hale
My heart is full! Last weekend I had the privilege of leading the Big Oak Ranch (BOR) House Moms’ retreat. These Moms along with their husbands are the front-line soldiers in the everyday battle of providing a Christian home and family for approximately 180 BOR children at both the Boys and Girls Ranches. Together they stand shoulder to shoulder in Big Oak’s mission to share the unconditional love of Jesus and the hope that flows out of it.
Our retreat theme was Community: Developing a Heart for One Another. Dr. Rene Spitz defines community as "reciprocal rootedness." Community is our desire to connect, to love, and be loved. God created us in His image to have a vertical relationship to him and horizontal relationships with others. All of us long to connect to something or someone. Author John Ortberg writing in his book Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them wryly observes, "It is better to eat Twinkies with good friends than to eat broccoli alone."
Floral crosses designed by Angela McKinney
Author Burk Parsons writes, “Community is not just getting together; it is living together, suffering together, rejoicing together, and dying together.” Community is built as we work together to engage, equip, and encourage. We do that as we love and serve one another using our God-given gifts for others’ good and God’s glory.
Throughout our weekend we looked at what the Bible has to say about community and the many “one another” mutuality commands that provide the “house rules” for Christians. Mutuality commands are the New Testament framework that translates love into action; mitigates the tension between Christians; and mollifies the differences between believers. Mutuality commands help us do life together and are imperatives, not optional add-ons or suggestions. Not surprisingly, the #1 mutuality command in the New Testament is “love one another” (John 13:34-35).
Photo courtesy of photographer Martha Hale
Besides our teaching sessions on community, encouragement, and hospitality, we had other opportunities to build community. All of us participated in a wonderful flower workshop on the first day of our retreat. On Saturday afternoon some women participated in a ropes course designed to build teamwork. Others engaged in card games, hikes, or just having conversations on a deck overlooking the lake. Meals were shared; tears were shed; and prayers were prayed. Perhaps most notably, important conversations took place. While some of the BOR house Moms are veterans with years of Ranch parenting experience, others have just arrived. These Moms needed a listening ear and wise counsel from the experienced moms who were a little bit further along.
Photo courtesy of photographer Martha Hale
Author Tim Challies writes:
What most people need and long for as they face trials and encounter questions is simply the dedicated attention of someone who is a little bit further along, the listening ear and gentle voice of someone who is a few steps ahead on the path of life, or the path of ministry, or the path of suffering, or the path of parenting. Most are merely seeking someone who will informally mentor them from the perspective of their own successes and failures, their own experiences of good and bad, the godly wisdom they have accumulated along the way.
What’s so wonderful about this ministry is that we can all take it up, for each of us is just a little bit further along than someone else. The father with toddlers is a little bit further along than the father with an infant, the mother who lost a child ten years ago to the one whose child has only just been laid in the grave. The Chrisitan teen has taken a few more steps along the path of life than the child, the Christian senior than the one in her forties. Each of them can prayerfully look back and extend a helping hand, a word of advice, a prayer of intercession, to a person following along behind. Each of them can take up this ministry of blessing and encouragement, of Word and prayer, of time and attention. For they have the one key credential: they are a little bit further along.
Photo courtesy of photographer Martha Hale
Usually when I speak or teach, I ask participants to try and find at least one gold nugget or takeaway from our time together. A gold nugget is a valuable insight or truth that gives you help or hope from the study of God’s Word or time spent together. My personal gold nugget from this retreat was the importance of The Ministry of a Little Bit Further along. I saw it in action last weekend.
Who do you know that could benefit from your ministry of being a little bit further along?