FROM THE PASTOR
What if I Stumble
A significant portion of this week’s gospel talks about not doing anything that would make another stumble in faith. Throughout the week, I have had DC Talk’s What if I Stumble song running through my head (don’t know it? Click the link). Jesus is talking to the disciples about how their actions affect others. This is obviously something that makes sense in this portion of the gospel, but I’ve been wondering what this might mean on an individual level.
How is it that we respond when we find ourselves beginning to stumble? Stumbles, like losing your balance or being off-center, are some things that with small adjustments can bring us back to a balanced center. But the question becomes, what if I fall? What if I find myself flat on my face wondering if anyone has even noticed that I have fallen? Will I be able to crawl or walk with scraped knees?
I think for many of us, this has been a question in our lives as we put together our values, ethics, relationships and identity as we become an adult. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t come to this question over and over again. The question of, “when I stumble or fall, who do I turn to for help?” is one that is often in the back of our minds. One of the toughest three words for many of us to say is, “I need help.” The vulnerability that comes in not knowing the response and having it somehow ingrained in us that we should be able to do it all on our own, rubs us the wrong way. So who are you willing to ask for help? And if they say yes, can you simply accept it or do you feel the need to “pay them back?”
God created us to be in community. And for the most part, we are better about offering help than we are at receiving it. I encourage you to find a time this week to willingly accept help and simply say “thank you” rather than declining and pushing yourself to do it all on your own. And when the time comes, ask for help. Allow yourself to be helped. And offer help to others without expecting anything in return.
Blessings,
Pastor Sally
