We have all heard about testimonies. A testimony is a struggle or trial that God brought you through. We all have a testimony and every one of them are different because not one of us walks the same journey. Many times it is tough to go through a trial or test, a struggle. No one likes the going through process, but we all like the end when we realize what it was all for. The end part where God shows us why we went through what we went through. But during the trial, during the storm, it seems nearly impossible to think on anything else but that.
But I want to bring to our attention a scripture that we have all probably heard before. It is found in Philippians 2:3 – Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. This verse is telling us to put others before ourselves. At all times we are to put others before ourselves. Another scripture says this in mark 12:31 – And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. At all times. God doesn’t just say to love our neighbors as ourselves when our life is going perfect. He doesn’t just say to put others before ourselves only when our life is cheery and great. He says to love our neighbors and put them before ourselves period. The end. So that means at all times, including when we ourselves are facing troubles. This is the thing that God wants us to understand, He doesn’t just send people to us for us to be a help to them when our life is perfect and when we have our beautiful testimony. No, sometimes he sends someone to us, that needs to know that we are struggling too. They need a reminder that they are not alone in THEIR struggle. They need a friend, a neighbor, to walk through their struggle with. And this walking together works both ways. That means we might get something from that neighbor as well, like conversation we didn’t know we needed, or a friend to walk beside. God knows what we need more than we do. God knows what others need more than we do and sometimes that looks like walking through a storm together, to hold one another up, encourage one another, be there together.
To end, I just want to encourage us, in our storms, when the rain is pouring, when the wind is blowing, when the water is rising, when our eyes grow hazy from the tears we are crying, find someone who needs help, be a friend, be a neighbor and see how beautiful it can be to put others before yourself…even in the midst of your very own storm.
