The Planter Box Incident
HELLO FRIENDS,
“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness...” Romans 8:25-26
Yesterday I tipped over our standing planter box. I didn't mean to — I took the brake off its wheels, moved it to a different part of the patio, and walked away without reengaging the brake. Apparently the patio's grading is more pronounced than I realized, because the planter soon rolled a couple of inches, just enough to catch on something and tip over.
That was the first problem. The second: it was too heavy to lift back up by myself. To avoid re-injuring my back and elbow (I'm a mess these days, guys), I had to call for help. Lifting it alone wouldn't have been wise — if it was even possible.
Did you know that the Greek word for "help" in Romans 8:26 paints a picture of someone helping another carry a weight too heavy to bear alone? Like my wife coming to help me tip the planter box back up, or movers carrying that antique dresser your kids are praying they don't inherit (my millennial readers, can I get an amen?), the Holy Spirit is given to us to help carry what we cannot and should not carry ourselves. In particular, He helps us shoulder the burden of waiting on God's promises until they come to pass.
Allowing Him to carry those weights:
- Keeps us from trying to make things happen on our own.
- Prevents us from projecting our resentment onto others instead of bringing our frustrations to God and letting Him comfort us.
- Stops us from overstepping the boundaries God has set and missing the lessons right in front of us.
- Keeps us from burning out and giving up.
What are you facing that you cannot — and should not — carry alone?
What promise, placed in front of you through Scripture or through God speaking to your heart, is testing your patience right now?
Name it. Be specific.
Now, instead of running ahead of God to force it into being, wait. Wait for the next step. Wait for the strength. Wait even if the only word you hear back is "wait some more" — because the strength will come in the right season. In your weakness, let Him help you discern when that season arrives, and when it's time to move.
Cris Buck
Executive pastor