Brother, Let Me Be Your Shelter

“Brother let me be your shelter
I’ll never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you’re low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home”
(“Brother,” by NeedToBreathe)

I work with a staff of eight women. We range from 32 to 52 years old. Three of us have lost both our parents, one has lost her mother, one has lost a child, one has had a number of miscarriages. Several have been long-term single mothers. One is currently going through a marital separation, while another is taking care of an ailing mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s. One’s brother-in-law has inoperable cancer. Several have health problems of their own. Two homeschool their children. Most struggle to make ends meet. Each of us has very real problems. Each of us has good days and bad. Each of us needs a shoulder to cry on and a friend to offer love.

I have no doubt that God, in His infinite wisdom, placed our particular group of women together. He knew we needed each other, and He knew we would understand each other’s pains and trials. I swear there are days when each of feels like we cannot get out of bed, yet somehow we stumble into work only to find that one of our co-workers, one of our very dear sisters in Christ, has had a worse situation than our own. We are all extremely blessed because whoever is in crisis is surrounded and enveloped in prayer and God’s compassion.

Listening to NeedToBreathe’s song this morning, I gave the lyrics a chance to sink into my very stubborn soul. I care so much about the ladies around me at work but what about everybody else? Every single day, we cross paths with other grieving people in need of comfort and compassion. Each person has a “cross to bear” or a “storm” that they are weathering. Am I living my life in a way that makes me approachable by the suffering? Am I showing God’s love in my actions?

God’s Word offers this advice:

“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:12-16).

So I leave you with this encouragement: Let’s reach out to the hurting around us. Let’s offer hope and show God’s love. Let’s allow people to see that we are different through the love of our dear Savior. Let’s be each other’s shelter!

What about you? How do you show God’s love? What areas do you have room for improvement?

Yesterday, I wrote about being a healing balm, the comfort for someone else’s wounds. You can read that here.