Better together

It's humbling when you are forced to put into practice something you intellectually agree with and even champion, but practically hold off implementing.

We start our 40 Days of Community campaign on Sunday. Its theme is "Better Together," and will emphasize God's design for the church. Specifically, we were meant to serve each other and to serve together. No lone rangers need apply.

Well, we discovered Tuesday morning we have a broken, clogged sewer line (read more here). Our pastor's wife graciously offered us the use of her washing machine, so we agreed to take her up on the offer today. I brought a load of dirty laundry and detergent with me to work (parsonage in next door), fully expecting to handle the domestic duty myself.

But she told her machine was a front-loader, used a certain kind of detergent (don't worry, she had enough), and had a few other precedural quirks. It's also a new machine. So, she offered to do laundry herself. I confess I felt a little bit of American individualism sneak under the radar: there's something unnerving about watching someone scoop your dirty underwear into a washing machine.

But the whole experience illustrates the core concept of "Better Together." There are times when we are more then capable of cleaning up our own messes. But there are also times when we need outside help. We just need to be willing to accept--and ask for--that help. And we need to be just as ready to offer and actually give help to others.