Devotional: Little Mary

This has been weighing heavy on my heart.  I say,quite often, that many hands make work light.  And I've asked for volunteers countless times to help with drying a few dishes, rinsing out the coffee pots, helping with the yard sale, bringing a new mom an easy meal, the list goes on.  I know that

all of you are at a different place in your motherhood journey so that perhaps bringing a new mom a meal is too difficult.  I hope this devotional speaks to all of you in such a way that you will put yourselves out there just a little bit, to be just a little bit uncomfortable as you grow as a Christ follower so God can bless you in so many more ways than you could ever imagine.  I am guilty of having a difficult time saying "No" to anyone.  I even practiced saying "no" at work with one of my

co-workers one night, though that hasn't really done me any good.  MOPS would not be the same without all of you.  You've all brought so much joy to this ministry.  On the same token, MOPS would not be the same without your steering committee who keeps doing "just one more thing" because they made the committment last summer to bring you MOPS wrapped and tied with a pretty bow each time we meet.  They just need a little bit of help this semester because a few of our regular helpers are no longer in MOPS. 

 

I know many of you are also graduating to a place where your servant's heart is restless and you're ready to join the steering committee for next fall.  I welcome you all, in ANY capacity, to come serve with me.  Being on steering and being the coordinator has blessed me with such strong friendships that I never could have developed otherwise.

 

As always, I urge you to pray about the ministry and ask the Lord if you should take on a bigger role or if you should take an extra 5 minutes to rinse out the coffee containers just one time this semester.  Whatever the prayer request, be still and wait for the holy spirit to move you.

 

Your devotional follows:

 

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38(NIV)

 

It's been said that I should have been born a century ago, mostly because I'm so fond of the Wild west and its cowboys.  In all honesty, I'm quite content with paved roads, electronic gadgets, and the miracles of modern medicine.  It's the simple, straightforward way of the cowboy that I so admire, along with the down-to-earth terms they used to describe every element of life.

     Take, for example, the term "Little Mary," the name given the fellow charged with driving the blatting cart-a vehicle designed to carry newborn calves unable to keep up with the herd.  The guy holding the reins probably wasn't always tickled pink at his title, but he took it on the chin, knowing that someone had to look out for those babies.

     Cowboy life often mirrored biblical principles.  Those rowdy, dusty trail riders could have adopted a "survival of the fittest" mind-set, sparing the Litle Mary driver's ego...and an equine team the grueling job of pulling the wagon.  Instead, the cowboys looked to the future, knowing that every day the newborns grew more steady-legged anad that by the time they reached the end of the trail, most of the calves would have the strength to stand on their own and keep up with the herd.  So the riders outfitted the rig and turned a deaf ear to the chronic "blatting" of the young'uns, who were terrified by the rough ride that separated them from their mamas.

     Cynics might say the efforts could be explained by a stoic realization that, eventually, each calf would deliver dollars by the pound.  But that doesn't explain why the crusty cowpokes tenderly loaded and off-loaded critters hardly bigger than my clumsy dog at the start and finish of every parching day.  or why they crooned soft and low to calm them as the moon rose in the vast and inky sky.  or why tose dog-tired men painstakingly fashioned "bottles" of leather gloves and hand-fed those lil calves whose mothers couldn't or wouldn't provide nourishing milk and affection.

     I believe we can all benefit by their example.  The next time I see a brother or sister in need, I'll study them hard to find out what I can do to soothe them.

     Fortunately for me, I won't have to bear the Little Mary moniker or clomp around on "yelpin' puppies," blistered and chafed by the grit and hear of a long, hard ride.  Lucky me, I can ease on over and deliver comfort on well-padded Reeboks!

 

Today's prayerLord Jesus, no matter how tired You were, You saw to the needs of ohers.  No one remained sick or lame or poor for very long in Your presence! Teach me to have a sympathetic heart, so that I will recognize a need when i see it.  And grant me the loving-kindness to meet those needs as best I can.  Amen.