Colossians 1:21-23

Brothers and sisters:
You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds;
God has now reconciled you
in the fleshly Body of Christ through his death,
to present you holy, without blemish,
and irreproachable before him,
provided that you persevere in the faith,
firmly grounded, stable,
and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard,
which has been preached to every creature under heaven,
of which I, Paul, am a minister.

Something I’m constantly being convicted on is perseverance and steadfastness. After having my babies, I struggled through some postpartum depression. Add to that the natural challenges of having multiple children under 4 years of age, and it was a recipe for disaster. If it weren’t for Nick’s perseverance and steadiness, I don’t know how I would’ve endured. But I did! And looking back, I can see how it strengthened me, though in the moment I could have let it destroy me.

Because we are one body as believers, I believe when one part of the body is lacking, the other parts of the body step in to help out. Like when the body is deficient in certain vitamins, other parts of the body will donate to ensure everything is functioning. Granted, the body can only do this for so long. I was just reading about Calcium and how if your system is lacking in calcium, it will take it from your bones. This is a good thing at first, to stay alive, but long-term, no bueno. In the same way, we as Christians can go through seasons of dependence on the other members to help sustain us, but if we aren’t learning from them, if we aren’t inspired to be perseverant and steady ourselves, then we are no better than a dead limb.

But here’s the cool thing… Jesus brings dead things back to life. If you’re feeling defeated for any reason, take it to Jesus. He is hope when we have none left in us. And He wants you to live and thrive.