Daily Meditation: "Together" -- Tuesday, August 11, 2020
SCRIPTURE
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.” -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
REFLECT
I have many memories of our journey through COVID as a church family thus far, and all of them have been inspirational and rooted in our love for one another. I have been witness to sharing and support through moments of profound difficulty and struggle each week in our Zoom gatherings that have touched me deeply.
These times together have many times caused me to consider how blessed we are to have each other through times of struggle and challenge, as well as times of joy and celebration. Is it ever any fun to have something to celebrate and not have anyone to celebrate it with? I’m reminded of my 30th birthday, a few months before I met Kath, as I sat alone in the parsonage up in Pawlet, VT, making myself spaghetti and eating an ice cream cake all by myself. It was a bit of a downer. In like manner, I also can’t imagine moving through the times in my life when I have shed tears without the presence and support of my wife, my boys, my parents, my family and my close circle of friends.
These days of isolation and sheltering-in-place have caused us all to reflect on many things; not the least of which is what it means to be connected to one another. Even if it’s over a screen or through a telephone, to hear another voice and see another face can make all the difference in getting us through some of these very challenging moments that can spring upon us any given day. We are social creatures, and the ability to connect with one another is crucial in helping us to get through any of life’s difficult times.
As Ecclesiastes so poetically and beautifully reminds us, two really are better than one. Whether in person, in the driveway at least six feet apart, through the screen door or on Zoom, we can still lift each other up and be together. Even if it's not our preference or the ideal way of doing things, it’s still better than being alone.
PRAYER
God of Fellowship, thank you for the presence of others in our lives. Even when we can’t be personally together, the gifts of those in our lives remind us that we are never alone.
Amen.
Peace,
Shawn