Grin and Bear It No More
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:1
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone…
What Paul couldn’t bear any longer was not knowing how or whether the church in Thessalonica was holding up under affliction. Lacking good cell service in Athens, his only option was to send Timothy to check on them. This meant that Paul would be left without the help and support he desperately needed to do ministry in Athens.
He was torn between his need and his need to know.
He had arrived at the point where his concern for their welfare outweighed his need for a ministry assistant. Paul had come to the point where the personal sacrifice that was necessary to get an answer and a resolution to the questions that were vexing his heart was worth it.
What I appreciate about texts like this one, of which there are many throughout the Bible, is their unvarnished honesty about the travails of God’s people. The fact that the Apostle Paul had a burden that he could bear no more without taking action is encouraging to me. It tells me that when we have those feelings it is not an indication that we are bad Christians who lack adequate faith to deal with life’s troubles.
It means we are more normal than we might have otherwise thought.
Take heart. When you feel burdened down with care for others, dare I say when you are worried about their spiritual state or how they are handling the difficulties they are facing, it doesn’t mean you need to get your act together and stop fretting. It might just mean you are human, and a person who cares about other people.
