The past few weeks have been interesting to say the least. Time spent exclusively with my husband and my two youngest boys has brought about some blessings I didn’t expect nor know we needed. This time has also brought about some challenges. All in all it has been a good thing for us. We have been blessed to have a sustained income where so many others have lost theirs. We have been blessed to spend extra time on school work with Benjamin that has brought about great strides in his education. We have been blessed to get to spend a birthday with Jonathan that we didn’t expect to get to do although it was a pretty lame birthday as far as birthdays go. We have been blessed to have to learn some new skills technologically speaking that has allowed us to keep in touch with our extended family, our brethren, Jonathan’s college teachers and my Latin students. These skills have opened up a whole new way of communicating that will be valuable from here onward.
During these weeks we, as a family, have been privileged to join in the live Facebook lessons my son Andrew has presented for the congregation in Conroe. Recently Danny has been included in some of these lessons. Danny and Jonathan have learned to record and present lessons for our brethren via Facebook. Many people have been using this format as well as others to share God’s word. Hopefully through this very public mode of transmitting the message, some have been introduced to God’s truth who otherwise would not have ever known the truth.
I have enjoyed learning to make unleavened bread to use during the Lord’s Supper here at home with my family. I’ve never worshiped in a congregation that used homemade unleavened bread. I’ve always loved it when we visited somewhere that did. Over these four weeks, I have tried four recipes. It has been a great learning experience for me.
Through all of these experiences we have known that something’s just not right. To quote Jesus when talking with Martha about her sister, Mary, “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Jesus was referring to Mary sitting at His feet listening to His words of wisdom instead of tending to the physical needs of those around her. We have missed the one thing, the good part as well. The one thing we’ve been missing is gathering with our brethren to worship God and to encourage each other. There have been some great avenues open to encourage and teach others through social media but God knows and I now know just how valuable meeting together, face to face, is to a Christian. We need each other.
My family has spent the past month worshiping God together at home. We have studied God’s word. We have prayed together. We have sung hymns together. We have partaken the Lord’s Supper together. It has been a blessing to get to spend intimate time with the family doing these things but “one thing is missing”. I know there are those who live alone who do not have the advantage of several in the household to do these things with. I know they are very aware that “one thing is missing”.
We all are looking forward to this morning when we will once again gather together to worship God and encourage each other. We will sing. We will pray. We will study. We will partake of the Lord’s Supper. What a great day it will be and may we never find it necessary to refrain from meeting face to face again.
“Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” Acts 20:7
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:15-17
Diana Dow
