He can share my locker!

03 Nov He can share my locker!

Read Colossians 3:12-17

Thought for the Day: Little actions go a long way!

In the middle of my 3rd Grade year, my parents moved to the small town of Wyndmere, North Dakota. With a population of 492, my elementary school rarely got new students and never in the middle of the year. Everything went well that first day at the new school until my teacher stood up in front of the class and introduced me before giving a disclaimer. While she was glad I had joined, there was a small problem. Since school had been in session in my tiny new school for nearly two months, all the lockers had been taken. This could have been a very embarrassing situation, but a boy named Howard spoke: “He can share my locker!”

Often it is easy to default to a mindset that fails to see the needs of others. Writing to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul advises, “put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts”. Members of the Church at Colossae had become inwardly focused. Instead of seeing the needs of others, they were isolated and spent countless hours searching for a hidden truth. This gnostic search meant that many members closed themselves to those around them, even when the needs were right in front of their eyes. Paul pointed out that Christ has compassion for us and invites us to learn from Him!

In today’s fragmented world, it is easy to try to find strength from the wrong source. While Christ wants to teach us strength through compassion, it is far too easy to disconnect from others and live in isolation. Let’s learn a lesson from a compassionate 3rd Grader. While there are many ways to justify not reaching out, God asks us to stop overthinking and simply connect with others. It is amazing how He blesses our efforts when we open our eyes to see the needs of others. All we need to do is be willing to share a locker!

In Christ,

Pastor Stan (and David)