SUPPORTING LOVING, GODLY RELATIONSHIPS (PART 4 – HELP THE COUPLE IN NEED)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Where has your beloved gone, most beautiful of women? Which way did your beloved turn, that we may look for him with you?

Song of Songs 6:1

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

This last weekend was such a rich blessing on a lot of levels. First, some background.

My youngest daughter is married to an Air Force Staff Sergeant and they have been stationed in Germany for the last five years. They left with one child, our first grandchild Maddox, and returned with two additions, Graham and Hadley. We did get to see everyone but Hadley (who was yet to be born) in 2012 when I retired from the Navy but that was more than two years ago and Graham was not yet a year old.

Fast forward to the end of July 2014 when my daughter, her husband, and the kids returned to the United States and settled into their new surroundings, south of us by about ten hours driving. We were elated to have them home and this last weekend, made the drive south for a blessed reunion and, in Hadley’s case, an introduction to Grandpa and Grandma.

Our first get together was nothing short of amazing. LOTS of hugs and kisses filled with LOTS love. This was followed with LOTS of playing with the grandkids and catching up with all that was going on with my daughter and her husband.

And then we did something that meant the world to these two young parents who invest so much time in raising their three blessings from God.

We gave them a break.

Sure, it was just for a little more than three hours as we took the kids to the mall, treated them to lunch, and then set them loose in a place called Fun Factory for an hour or so of revelry playing a multitude of games, but for my daughter and her husband, it was quality time together to be treasured. We look forward to doing it again and again and again now that we are not an ocean apart from one another.

In a separate set of circumstances, we have a neighbor who is fighting cancer. He had been relatively healthy and was doing all he could to exercise and take care of himself before he became afflicted. What has followed has been a long procession of chemotherapy treatments to try and eradicate the cancer and restore him to full health again. It’s been a long road, a road that has brought weariness the longer the journey has gone on. The process has taken a toll on his spouse as well who has been there for him every step of the way as any good spouse would do. She has been a well spring of companionship, support, and love for him through the entire struggle.

In support of this couple, we and others have visited, sent cards and letters, mowed their yard, and prayed for them, showing the love of the Lord while providing encouragement and reassurance to bolster and reinforce their faith that God is in control of their circumstances, no matter how scary and trying they may be.

It was these personal experiences that really underscored the importance of helping couples when they are in need. Life has a way of bringing challenges and sometimes the smallest gesture of kindness can result in a large benefit to the people we are caring for.

As we look once more at the Song of Songs, we find the friends of the loving, Godly couple, Solomon and Shulammite, expressing their willingness to help them in a time of need. Look at their words again here:

Where has your beloved gone, most beautiful of women? Which way did your beloved turn, that we may look for him with you? (6:1)

As Chapter 6 opens, it’s obvious that Solomon is away from Shulammite, the one who we have seen is faint in love with him and shows great desire to always be by his side. We also get the sense that Shulammite is seeking her love, unsure of where he may have gone. Enter the friends who are more than willing through their words to assist Shulammite in finding her love and reuniting with him.

How can we support loving, Godly relationships?

The word today helps us see that we need to be willing to help couples in need when assistance arises. Maybe today you know a couple who needs a break from their kids, a couple who is struggling as one of the partners fights affliction, or one partner in the relationship needs some kind of special support you can render him or her.

We’ll all need help at some time or another in life and I think we all would like to have someone we can turn to in when we a need arises and support is needed. God placed us in His creation to live life in a way where we mutually support and care for one another, showing one another the love and compassion He so feely places within our hearts. Show it to others and receive it when you need it. We can only make our communities and world a better place by doing so.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com