John has some advice about how to treat others who are on their own path.
Too often I think we see our faith or our belief or our religiousness (ok that’s not a word but hopefully you know what I mean) as a destination and not a journey. What John says here is that it is a walk ultimately done in truth. But what does that mean?
You’re probably not supposed to do this but I admit I don’t quite know. What it does sound like though is that we don’t do it alone and that’s good news. We might start out that way but along the way we should get help. We’re going to need it and furthermore, we should help others. We do that it any one of thousands of ways. Support in a tough time, listening to what our brothers and sisters struggle with and offering our best, not perfect, assistance so that our friends can go on in their journey. I think it’s important to note who our “friends” are in this because it’s a non-traditional definition.
Our friends are everyone including strangers. In this adventure we call life we’re all in it together and our friends in Christ are in need of the human touch only we can give. We talk about being the hands and feet of God and I think that’s what John is getting at here. We must understand that our decision to embark on this path is done sometimes at the cost of support of those who don’t believe so we must also seek support and extend it to others along the way.
That’s how it works. So don’t try to do it alone and let others know they don’t have to either. Once we head in the direction of truth, we are never alone not spiritually or practically. Believe it. It’s the truth.
Our Midwest upbringing values independence but that’s not what we’re told over and over again in the bible. We all need help, especially with the biggest issues and decisions in life. We also need to offer help too. If you know someone that needs help today but might be reluctant to ask for it, I hope you’ll pass this along to them.
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