Good Morning All,
Song of Solomon 2:15; “Catch
us the foxes, the little
foxes; that ruin the vineyards— for our vineyards are in blossom.”
If any of
you have ever dealt with any kind of equipment that has moving parts, you know
what a bearing is. A bearing holds a
shaft in place while it turns. There are
bearings in everything. There are wheel
bearings in your car, there are tiny bearings in electric motors, there are big
bearings in tractors and planters and combines.
Bearings truly hold the world together in many aspects.
The amazing thing about
bearings is that it takes so little to wreck them. It only takes a few grains of sand that gets
in the bearing; that can cause the bearing to literally explode. When this happens, the wheel can fall off of
your car or the electric motor will just stop, or the tractor or combine or
planter will stop. There may even end up
being more damage to the car or the motor or the tractor as it suddenly and
often times violently stops. Huge and
expensive equipment can be reduced to not much more than scrap metal by a few
grains of sand. Cars can be involved in
accidents that take lives because of a few grains of sand.
In many ways, our
relationships can be like those bearing.
It only takes a little bit of trouble to escalate into calamity. How many times have siblings refused to speak
to each other for years but not really remember why? How many times have friendships been broken
over minor misunderstandings that were not healed before they became a
malignant growth on the friendship?
God gives us the pleasure of
friendship, of loving families, of marriage but it takes work from us as
well. There is always something trying
to destroy those relationships. It is
sin and the devil trying to be the “sand in the bearing” in your life. It can take the form of jealousy, or greed or
envy. It can show itself as hurt
feelings and pride that refuses to let go or to reach out to heal. It can start with something as simple as a
forgotten date and mushroom into a broken relationship.
So, we have to keep the sand
out or catch the little foxes like our verse tells us. We have to pay attention to the relationships
in our lives in order to keep them healthy.
We need to communicate with each other; clearly speaking but more
importantly, listening to what is said and meant. We need to value and respect these
relationships so that they can strengthen and grow. If we ignore them or take them for granted,
little foxes can dig them up and ruin them.
Little grains of sand can destroy the bearing and leave us with nothing
of value and difficult to restore. So,
take care of your friendships and your other relationships, they are a gift
from God to be cared for.
Gracious Father, help me to
value the many relationships that you have given to me. Guide me to see the blessings that they
are. Help me to make them stronger. Be with those who are suffering from broken
and wounded relationships. Help them to
heal; help them to reconcile. In the
precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, Amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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