Surrounded
I’ve been whacked with an evil virus for 10 days. I had to cancel out on The Spire Conference in Nashville and here’s the irony. Before I got so sick I had already recruited eight guys to assist me in a 2.5 hour Huddle session entitled: “Soul Strength is Contagious - Friends Required!”
My absence in Nashville proves the point! It’s now day ten, and I’m working on my back deck while still struggling with fatigue. My next-door neighbor just walked over and asked how I was doing. Evidently, he heard I was not well. After I told him of my unrelenting fatigue, I added: “Here’s the good news: I’ve got some really good guys covering for me. It’s not all about me.” To which he said, “It’s never about us; it’s about all of us.”
Well, I’ve been saying: “My get up and go, got up and went!” If that should ever happen to you, who will get up and go for you? By God’s grace, throughout this week, I will have a dozen guys or more stepping up for me in Nashville. While I think I may have been some help, had I been able, this I know: These guys will be more than able to take things to the next level (and beyond) without me!
In my weariness each evening, I’ve been watching the HBO special, A Band of Brothers. It’s been humbling and eye-opening to see the sacrifices of some in “The Greatest Generation.” These young men, all from common, ordinary backgrounds, volunteered to serve as paratroopers in WW. II.
They were typically outnumbered, under-resourced, and overwhelmed by enemy fire. That was their reality; however, they were never alone. Each man counted on his buddy to back him up. Many times, they had to drag a fallen man back to a foxhole until a medic could arrive in hopes of stopping the bleeding. I just found this succinct summary from Michael Walther.
The television series Band of Brothers follows the experiences of a company of paratroopers as they participate in the invasion of Europe. In one scene, Lt. Richard Winters is leading his men into the heart of the Battle of the Bulge. Another lieutenant is pulling back from the front line, and he gives Winters a dismal report, "Looks like you're going to be surrounded." Winters replied briefly and confidently. "We're paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded.”
Have you ever felt surrounded by unrelenting forces or even an unrelenting fatigue that you could not control? Well, take heart, you’re not the only one! When those times come, stand firm and trust that in His time, God will send His resources to your side. As we read in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
The growing ministry of Covenant Connections doesn’t depend just on me, but on all of us. Whenever we feel surrounded we must remind ourselves and one another that we are all in very good company after all!
Grace and Peace,
Alan
P.S. The best time to build a Band of Brothers is before you need one!
