My three year old granddaughter refused my offer of help with the many buttons of her sweater. I acknowledged that this is how they learn, so I let her take control. It took time as she fumbled with each button, but she was proud of herself when she’d finished. The result was a couple buttons at the top without button holes and a couple button holes at the bottom lacking buttons. This was easily explained, in her three year old mind, with “Too many buttons.” She ran off to join her friends. A whopper-jawed sweater is cute on a child.
I can be as prideful as the three year old in some of my duties. For instance, when I insist on doing everything myself in preparing a family meal—getting each dish to the perfect temperature at the same time. It isn’t cute when the meat is underdone, the rolls are dry, and the potatoes are cold. While I struggle to be the perfect hostess, I can easily end up with too many buttons.
How much easier and according to God’s plan, would it be to let someone help? It isn’t an accident that God put us with other people. He created families and community for a purpose. In our own pride we want to work alone.
But God is all about togetherness.
He tells us to encourage one another every day. (Hebrews 3:13) We have to be in contact with others to be an encourager.
He says we aren’t to neglect meeting together. (Hebrews 10:25) That means we can’t worship Him as fully alone at home as in the community of believers at church.
The body of Christ is made up of many members, all different and with individual functions, but created to work together. (Romans 12:4-5) We are all different. Not all of us are easy to get along with. That requires us to offer grace and forgiveness, and to exhibit humility.
“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV
I think, at the next family get-together, I’ll assign each family member their own dish to prepare. Won’t it be fun when we’re all in the kitchen together?
