Serving One Another in the Midst of the Trials

One of my struggles of late has been with my job.  Last September I was moved into a role that required significantly more travel, something I absolutely despise.  I hate being away from my family, the hassle of flying and all the preparation that goes into that.  It makes it hard being on the road a lot of weeks, something of which I am convinced is not the Lord's will for a long period of time.  As I have wrestled with this for several months, along with some other things, one aspect of God has become very clear to me.  That is the Lord's sovereignty over my life.  For whatever reason, like it or not, we are asked to walk through certain things in our lives that we may not like.  The book of Ecclesiastes makes that very clear, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven;" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  Ecclesiastes also tells us that, "there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  I have asked the Lord to remove this from me, to allow me to find another job, to take whatever it is that I am struggling away from me; however, He has not.  Over the months I have instead begun to ask the Lord to give me the strength to endure, grant me courage, hope, and full and complete trust in Him, regardless of the wind and waves that might be crashing about (I'll write more on this in another post at some point).  This season in my life has been a trial for me, teaching me more about who the Lord really is.  While our God could be a tyrant and take joy in our misery, He is nothing like that.  Our God in all His might and majesty tempers that might and instead in His perfect holiness reveals Himself in love to us.  That perfect love of God the Son.

I was reminded today of the love of God in the midst of my trials and how He exemplified that love through His son.  Take a look at John 13:1-17.  It is the account of Jesus' washing of His disciples' feet after they shared supper on Jesus' last night on this earth.  Obviously there was no greater love shown than what Jesus endured during His passion leading up to and on the cross; however even in the midst of what Jesus knew he was going to endure he served his disciples.  Once he was finished washing their feet he says, "If I then, Your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."  The Lord clearly reminded me that even in the midst of trials and various seasons that we go through we have to serve one another, for isn't that true love?  Later in that same chapter Jesus states, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34, 35).

We can get so wrapped up in our own trials, our own desires, thoughts, ideas and totally forget that in all of those things we are called to love one another, and by that love the world will know we are Jesus' disciples.  Perhaps that is why such a darkness has fallen across our land is that the disciples of Jesus are not washing one another's feet and loving well, even in the midst of trials.