A time to honor...

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor... I Timothy 5:17a




I went to church with a heavy heart on Sunday, August 9. It was our 34th anniversary, and Linda was at home in bed, not feeling well enough to go with me. On the advice of a doctor, we had taken her to the emergency room the night before. The test they ran was inconclusive, and she was taking heavy painkillers and sleeping in for the morning.

Ninety per cent of the time, when I am asked "How are you?" I respond, "Great!" because no matter what setbacks life may deal us, I prefer to look at the big picture. "Count it all joy," "in everything give thanks," "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us," (references below)and so on are verses that have always inspired me not to get bogged down in temporal problems.

But it's different when it's your wife, and there seems to be nothing you can do to help her. I wondered if I should, in obedience to James 5:14-15, ask the elders to pray for Linda, but I got there too late to make such a request, and it turned out to be the Sunday Pastor Allen led us in the Lord's prayer, anyway.

After the service, an elder whom I don't get a chance to speak to very often, greeted me and asked the inevitable, "How are you doing?" and I found myself telling him about my concerns for Linda (instead of saying, "Great!"). He listened attentively, expressed empathy, and urged me to call on him if there was anything he could to help. I was grateful for his attention, and left encouraged.

Fortunately, Linda recovered a few days later (after working through he first two days of school on painkillers), and I didn't need to call on anyone. And as often happens, when things return to "normal," my time and attention went on to more "urgent" matters.

But not that elder. He didn't forget his promise, and called later in the week to check on us, inquire about Linda's condition, and offer his help once again. Now this may not seem like a big deal to you, but I've belonged to a number of churches where elders would not have shown this degree of "follow through" and attention to detail from a casual conversation with a fellow member after church. It meant a huge amount of encouragement to me, and I am grateful for that level of commitment on the part of Dove Mountain elders.

References cited in paragraph 2: James 1:3-4, I Thessalonians 5:18, Romans 8:18