Jesus Soothes the Stings in Life
By Lorilee Mundfrom
National WMF President
I love to “give advice”. It seems when someone comes to me with a problem or a concern, I like to have an answer! Much of the time, however, the person coming to me is not looking for AN ANSWER, but a LISTENING EAR or someone who can actually help them!
Perhaps you have experienced a physical ailment. You share this difficulty with a friend. What do they do? They go looking for a cure!
I read a story recently of a lady who had been walking in her yard and all of a sudden felt this strange sting between her toes. As she took off her sandal, a bee came crawling out of her sandal. The bee had stung her. The next thing she knew, her other foot began to hurt and sure enough, a bee had stung that foot too. As she was trying to get away from the bees, they chased her and kept on stinging her. She was in dreadful pain by the time she got to her house. The bees had stung her several times. Her husband helped by giving her a bag of ice and then went on the internet to look for medical advice. One of the first things listed was “avoid the bees’ nests!” Obviously, this woman would have avoided the bees’ nests if she had known they were there! She wanted someone to help her.
When we have friends or family who come to us because they are having problems, do we give advice or do we introduce them to Jesus, the One who can help them? If we really listen, they often are not looking for advice but someone who will bring them to Jesus. Do you pray with them? Do you pray for them?
As women ministering to women in the WMF, the most important ministry we can have is to bring the women to Jesus. Maybe your friend knows Jesus as Savior, but has forgotten that He cares for her as she focuses on her troubles. Sometimes it is so easy to get overwhelmed with our responsibilities and problems that we forget to “run” to Jesus. We keep trying to dig ourselves out of these overwhelming piles, but often find the piles just keep getting deeper! We keep trying to run away from the stinging bees, but they just keep stinging harder and harder. We need to “run” to Jesus so that He can soothe our aches and carry our burdens. So, when a friend comes to you for help, she may need a listening ear and one who will bring her to Jesus. Will you introduce her to Jesus?
