Power in Community

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

— 2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV) 

When my daughter was born unexpectedly early, all my expectations for parenthood and what life with a newborn would be like were turned upside down. For over a month, my husband and I made daily trips to the hospital to sit with our tiny daughter in the NICU as doctors and nurses cared for her. Between our trips to the hospital, my healing from major surgery, and my husband’s work schedule, our days were full, and preparing food was the last thing on our minds. Thankfully, community came to our rescue. Friends and family, colleagues, and members of our church prepared and delivered meals to my husband and me for over three months. They saw our need and stepped in to care for us in what felt like a miraculous way. The gift of that care is something I will always remember and be grateful for. 

The way our community cared for us showed me how God’s love for us shows up in our daily lives. Through community, God attends to our needs and offers us comfort and encouragement when challenges arise.  In this issue, writers offer us a challenge to pay closer attention to opportunities to care for and encourage those around us. But we must be paying attention and remain alert for these opportunities. We need not be perfect, and we need not be able to fulfill every need we see, but God who is always present and mindful of our needs calls us to do what we can. As an expression of our gratitude to God whose abundant love sustains us, I pray each of us will respond to this call with faithful and loving action.

— Lindsay Gray, Editorial Director, The Upper Room