In security circles, staff are often issued radios with a “man down” feature. This feature is important because if a person is assaulted in some way, and is down on the ground, unable to respond, the radio can “sense” this and send out an alarm to those who are monitoring such transmissions. Sometimes I think it would be good if Christians had such alarms. Maybe it would go something like this:
- “I am feeling really depressed lately and I can’t pull myself out of it.“ Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “I am being tempted to do some things that will harm my marriage,” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “I have been drinking too much lately.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “I am having a crisis of faith.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “My anxiety is all over me. I know I am not supposed to worry, but sometimes I am afraid to just get out of bed.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “ I feel so lonely and like life is meaningless.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “ I am having big financial problems that are burying me. I am so ashamed.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “I am thinking about divorcing my spouse.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “I can’t stop watching pornography.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “I am thinking about ending my life.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “I am finding myself attracted to the same sex as me. I can’t share that with anyone.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
- “My anger is out of control. If people only knew what goes on in my home.” Alarm. Alarm. Alarm.
Now you might say, “But wait Rob. I thought you were talking about Christians. Christians don’t have these problems They are such good people.” But you would be wrong. Christians, just like non-believers can and do struggle with these things. On top of that, they are often so ashamed that they have such problems that they put on their happy, faith filled face, while living a life that is tearing them and others apart. This is why I sometimes wish Christians could have man (or woman) down alarms, because they are in real peril, and nobody knows it. Their brothers and sisters in Christ often find out when it is too late. If only some sort of signal had been sent out that would have proclaimed, “Hey, I’m struggling here and I don’t know what to do. I need help”.
Now, I know that people must be ready to talk about their problems, and of course I respect that. It’s just that the Scriptures are filled with so many verses about helping a Christian brother or sister who is hurting, and yet we keep our pain so well hidden that we never allow others in Christ to minister to us
Here are some examples:
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive” – Acts 20:35
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” “2 Corinthians 1:3-5
The truth is that brothers and sisters in Christ need to work together to comfort one another. We have to be willing to trust one another with our struggles. We have to be willing to admit that we are all sinners and that sometimes our sin can get us into great trouble. We have to be willing to not masquerade as super-saints, but as the weak vessels we often are. We have to be willing to cry out, “Man down”.
I pray that if this email has hit a chord with you and you are one of the folks who are carrying a burden that is too heavy for you to bear, that you would go to a brother or sister in Christ and let them help you. Please don’t be the one that we find on the ground in deep trouble because you wouldn’t send out a timely alarm. We are called to love one another. Let’s allow that to happen, especially in our times of need.
For Him,
Rob