Friends. Good Christian friends.
Before I was a believer, my pit was a place almost no one knew about. I was ashamed of the weakness it showed so I kept it to myself. I tried as best I could to get out on my own but seemed to find my way back there again and again. It was dark and lonely. And it’s somewhere I never want to go to again.
One of the greatest testimonies I have is that when I came to faith in Christ, He rescued me from that pit and filled it in (partially). And He sent me something I’d never had before—a good Christian friend. And then He sent another and another and another. Eventually, I felt confident enough to share my “pit experiences” with some of them. Much to my surprise, they didn’t run away in shock and horror. In fact, they stayed and offered encouragement—and sometimes, shared their own stories of dark places.
Maybe some day God will completely fill my pit and I can plant a tree on top of it in remembrance. But in the meantime, when I still occasionally find myself in one, I know I’m not alone. These brothers and sisters in Christ offer encouragement where I need it, acceptance where I feel condemnation and prayer when I can’t find the words. And most of all they shine the light of God’s love and truth in the darkness.
I admit that it’s scary to admit weakness and ask for help. Certainly doing so exposes one to rejection and ridicule. But I have found the opposite to be true. No burden is ever as great as it seems when confessed to a friend.
Pride, Shame, guilt and fear can keep us quiet. But by digging into those dark corners of our lives and bringing them into the light, God can begin to heal us. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:13-14
This journey as a believer is not easy. Thankfully we are not designed to go it alone. Even in the Garden of Eden God saw that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, so He created a companion for him.
And I think God still does that today—He sends us companions and by doing so it is “very good” indeed.
To me Bebo Norman’s song, Borrow Mine, captures all of this perfectly. So to my brothers and sisters in Christ who are my wonderful companions and confidants on this journey we’re on, (you know who you are), this song’s for you. Thank you for letting me "borrow yours" once in a while.
“You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
Borrow mine
When you can't go on
'Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine”
Excerpt from Borrow Mine by Bebo Norman
3 comments:
This was a great post too! Thanks for your comment on my blog and you are right thinking too much can be a curse at times...hence the reason I appreciate what you said here, we DO need good supporting friends who can get us out of ourselves and realize we are not alone. God is so good at sending them our way if we can only look up and realize it...haha...sometimes I haven't because I have been so wrapped up in myself [and in my pit]. Thanks for your prayers and I will pray for you too!
“A friend loves at all times” Proverbs 17:17 I’m honored to be called your friend, to laugh with you and cry with you.
Love and prayers, Deb
" Borrow Mine" is one of my favorite songs too -- even just hearing the words uplifts me. Pastor Doug called on us to comfort another this week -- thanks for all you do to comfort and support!
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