Search Our Blog Posts
Blog Article Tags
We love building relationships. Subscribe to our blog to receive weekly encouragement in your email inbox.
- Details
Written by Nilaurys Garcia, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister in Chile
Some places have elevators and others have stairs or escalators. Climbing stairs can be difficult for children, elderly, or a person who has bodily ailments. Think for a second about the effort that you put forth to climb a staircase.
A couple of weeks ago, while I was talking with a friend, I mentioned to her that Christian life is like climbing a descending escalator (we have known each other for more than 15 years, so she let out a laugh; she knows that I like examples and expected me to elaborate on the idea). Some of you will not understand the image that I am proposing, but let me explain it to you. Climbing up escalators that are descending is a little complicated. There is a movement that takes us down no matter how much we try to go up, and no matter how great of a willpower we have, but if we keep trying and establish a constant rhythm of steps, we can keep going up and even get to the top after sweating a little bit. However, what happens if we get distracted or stumble? What is most likely is that the escalator will drag us down a couple steps, or if we really lose the rhythm, we may have to start back at square one.
Our spiritual life is similar to that idea of climbing an escalator which is going down. If we make an effort (if we study the word, pray, stay strong, have communion with the church), we can constantly go up and grow in our daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. It becomes easy to be a Christian when I feel full of the kindness and the love of God. It is much easier to wait patiently in city traffic when I remember that the joy of the Lord is my strength, and it’s easier to get up in the morning with a thankful heart because God has gifted me with a new day. But when we let other things distract us and make us lose focus, we take the wrong steps. We risk falling to the bottom of the escalator and having to start over…I forget the joy of the new day and I drift away from the One that gave himself over for me.
We have heard many times about these characteristics that Peter asks us to strive for: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV). All of these characteristics will make us grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and will keep us from being useless and unproductive (v. 8). If we go back to the image of the escalator, we are constantly making an effort to add these things to our faith (climbing the escalator).
Even though this escalator may be an individual path, let us think of all of us climbing. Communion with the church is important. We are all encouraging each other to take the next step. No matter what your current status is, married, single, we are all on this path, we are encouraging others and receiving their support as we form part of this great body that has Jesus as our head.
- Details
Written by Debora Rodrigo, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Spain
I'm a single woman, like many others in my society. Besides being single, I am a Christian. And this is what makes it different; there are not many like me in my church. For whatever reason, congregations do not reflect the more than 50% of singles in society. And I'm not talking about people who decide not to marry and live together instead, but rather, people who, for various reasons, do not live as a couple. Many like me do not feel welcome in their churches; many, in fact, stop congregating because of it.
If like me, you are single, it might have been difficult at times to find appropriate activities for you within the church. Perhaps sometimes you have felt that you are not like the others. Or you have even received a special treatment that makes you uncomfortable, although you know well that it does not come from a discriminatory intention. Let me tell you that none of this responds to what the Bible says or Jesus’ teachings. The examples of singles are abundant in the Bible, and the teachings regarding singleness are also very present.
If you are single, like me, perhaps you are part of that group of people in society with the most significant number of connections in the community, as some statistics also show. And maybe, just maybe, you have a little more time that allows you to have better communion with God and serve the church with more dedication, as the apostle Paul affirmed (1 Cor. 7:32-33). In that case, you have a lot more to contribute than you have possibly thought so far. Although we can’t deny that the family, and by extension, marriage, is one of our church’s pillars, we can’t forget that the Bible and Jesus’ teachings are addressed to individuals, not family units. The Bible is addressed to people, people who have a relationship with God and others. And you could be an example in these two areas. First, for your multiple connections with your community; and second, because your condition can be an opportunity to get closer to God.
Single lady, don't let appearances or what others may think discourage your strength. Don't let the flow of what others do, inside or outside the church, affect your desire to serve. Be an example. Live each day in the present, regardless of what is around you, and do your best to be an example for others. Be an example in your relationship with God and get closer to Him every day. Be an example of a Christian woman who connects with others and loves her neighbor.