The Power of a Unified Effort
A few days ago while in Israel some friends and I
decided to take a stroll into the old city.
We had a wonderful time looking at the sights and shopping for
bargains. One of those good deals we ran
upon was water—six two liter bottles for $5.00. A young pastor in the group knowing
that was a great price decided to buy a pack.
He paid the storekeeper snatched up the water and we were on our way
again. While the purchase was well worth
the money, the only concern I had was “how is he going to carry those all the
way back to our hotel?” At first it did not appear to be a challenge but after
walking only a short distance he realized this was going to be much more difficult
than he had imagined. After seeing him shift the weight from one arm to the
other, I offered my assistance. However, before transferring the burden from
his hands to mine, a wonderful thought came to me. “There are six bottles of water and there are
six people in our group. Why don’t all
of us take one and that will solve the problem.” We distributed to each team
member their allotted burden and continued on our merry way. While the purchase
was far too heavy for one person to bear, the load was greatly minimized when
spread among the multitude. This problem was the same dealt with in the Bible
when the paralytic needed to be transported to Jesus. He was in great need of a
miracle but could not walk. Four of his friends knowing he needed assistance decided
they would pitch in share the burden and make sure he got into the presence of
the Lord. The outcome was miraculous. We are called upon to “share each other’s
burdens thus fulfilling the law of Christ.” Knowing this, we come to understand
two things: when we are need we should
not hesitate to enlist the help of others; even greater when others are in need
we should always be willing to provide a helping hand because there is power in
a unified effort.
A few days ago while in Israel some friends and I
decided to take a stroll into the old city.
We had a wonderful time looking at the sights and shopping for
bargains. One of those good deals we ran
upon was water—six two liter bottles for $5.00. A young pastor in the group knowing
that was a great price decided to buy a pack.
He paid the storekeeper snatched up the water and we were on our way
again. While the purchase was well worth
the money, the only concern I had was “how is he going to carry those all the
way back to our hotel?” At first it did not appear to be a challenge but after
walking only a short distance he realized this was going to be much more difficult
than he had imagined. After seeing him shift the weight from one arm to the
other, I offered my assistance. However, before transferring the burden from
his hands to mine, a wonderful thought came to me. “There are six bottles of water and there are
six people in our group. Why don’t all
of us take one and that will solve the problem.” We distributed to each team
member their allotted burden and continued on our merry way. While the purchase
was far too heavy for one person to bear, the load was greatly minimized when
spread among the multitude. This problem was the same dealt with in the Bible
when the paralytic needed to be transported to Jesus. He was in great need of a
miracle but could not walk. Four of his friends knowing he needed assistance decided
they would pitch in share the burden and make sure he got into the presence of
the Lord. The outcome was miraculous. We are called upon to “share each other’s
burdens thus fulfilling the law of Christ.” Knowing this, we come to understand
two things: when we are need we should
not hesitate to enlist the help of others; even greater when others are in need
we should always be willing to provide a helping hand because there is power in
a unified effort. 
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