Care For One Another

 

As I walked along in the quiet of the morning, I began to notice an unusually high amount of water flowing along the curb of the street. I thought to myself that it must be a broken sprinkler head causing this wasteful situation. The more I walked, the deeper and faster the flow of water became. When I finally reached the source, it was much more than a faulty irrigation system. A water main had broken and had pushed up a section of the street. A river flowed in both directions.

My mind quickly moved from concern about wasted water in a drought to hopes that when I made the long loop back home that I had water for a shower! I made a call to the city water department emergency number, only to discover that I was not the first to come upon the scene. I took a picture and continued on my way.

I thought of the people who would be inconvenienced when the water would be shut off. I thought of the workers whose Saturday suddenly became a long work day. I thought of how we never know when things may go wrong. Everything seemingly fine one minute, then an emergency call the next. Life is like that, isn’t it. Some things are easily handled. Some things are harder to fix.

We read in 1 Peter, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” That is certainly easier said than done, but just knowing God cares in the midst of all the things that may come into our lives is a comfort. We can be the means through which others know God’s care and concern. We can be present with each other, even when the problem isn’t easily fixed. We can speak a kind word or a word of encouragement while the waiting drags on. We can believe for each other when faith grows weak and weary. We can care for one another when the emergency comes.

Peace.