7-8It’s not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way from the time I was thrown in jail, put on trial, and came out of it in one piece. All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does! (Philippians 1:7-8 – The Message)
Christians belong to a community. All members in the Christian community should support and care about each other. Although Paul had faced many different challenges and suffered a lot, he had strength to sustain because he knew he was not alone. Brothers and sisters from Philippi were supporting Paul and had experienced the grace of God together with Paul. Sometimes, we feel so fake in praying and caring for brothers and sisters. Our support seems to be a routine. After the sharing from brothers and sisters, we can automatically utter a few words as an act of encouragement or support, without even allowing the information to be processed. We are numb in sensing how others’ feel. We jump to the conclusion so quickly. We are so busy and not willing to listen a person sharing his/her story for 20 minutes. While the person is still talking, we are hoping the conversation is going to end in a few minutes, so we can continue with what needs to be done. Paul’s prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality because his relationship with brothers and sisters is genuine and real. Stop faking your care and start spending time to build a genuine and real relationship with brothers and sisters. We all belong to ONE community.
“My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality.”
