Reaching Out

Reaching Out

By Sarah K.

 1 Thessalonians 5:11:  

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (emphasis added.) 

I will be the first to admit that reaching out to others is hard. Really hard…especially if you’re naturally shy and reserved, like me. Recently, I was taught a hard lesson over just this topic by none other than God Himself. 

It all started when life started getting hard. The college I’d prayed to be admitted to turned out to be too expensive, some good friends moved to other schools, and my home life got really, really tough. Instead of reaching out to other believers for the encouragement and guidance I needed as a relatively young believer, I shut down. I turned to the Internet, to my unbelieving friends, and to harsh music for the answers. Guess what? I didn’t find any. It was only after I reached out to someone that I was able to get my relationship with God and others back on line.  

So what happened? Where did I go wrong? I’d have to reply that I got resentful and angry when other people didn’t initially approach me, tempting me to think, “Well, if you think you’re too good for me, then I’m definitely too good for you!” But that was wrong. I was looking at the above verse the wrong way. I was asking, “What are they doing wrong?” instead of, “What am I doing wrong?” I didn’t care about their needs, just my own. 

Funny thing is, once I started reaching out in my church to people I originally thought I wouldn’t like at all, and getting involved in Bible studies and small groups, things started to turn around. We all have a lot to offer each other; we each have our own ‘gifts’ that put together make us a church. 

So ladies, reach out! I know it’s scary, and puts you in a position where you need to be honest and vulnerable about your faults and weaknesses. But that’s good! Other believers are there to help us get stronger in our weak areas, and we need to be there for each other. That’s what Jesus would do. I hope our prayer, every Sunday (and all the days in between!) is that we could have our eyes open to love others…and in the process we’re helping ourselves.