The Two
Companions
By Sarah Walker
By Sarah Walker
Now therefore fear
the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put
away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve
the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose
this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the
region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you
dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV)
Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV)
Imagine
with me that there are two friends or companions in your life.
The
first companion has a reputation of being untrustworthy. You have caught him
lying red-handed in the past, but sometimes you choose to go along with his
lies. He is known to make great predictions about future events. But in your experience with him his
predictions rarely, if ever, come to pass. He will always be there for you - -
but is notorious for his lack of comfort and support. Whenever you go on an
adventure with him, he will often leave you hanging right at a critical
juncture. Rarely, if ever, does he provide a meaningful solution for the
resulting situation his adventure leaves you in.
The
second companion, on the other hand, is trustworthy and will tell you the truth
in a kind way…even when it hurts. He is always there for you when you need him,
but he isn’t pushy and often will wait until you ask him for help. This
companion sometimes will ask you to go along with him on a crazy adventure.
Whenever you agree to it, you are always provided for and looked after, even if
you are personally challenged in the process. In fact, sometimes he takes you
by the hand and makes you face the first companion and tell him what you really
think of all his antics. It isn’t always easy, but when all is said and done,
you never regret heeding his advice.
Friends,
if you are anything like me, you all too often find yourself keeping company
with fear, the first companion. Fear constantly predicts the worst, yet we
somehow keep giving him another chance the next time he comes knocking at our
door. It doesn’t matter how often our fears have let us down, we seem to have a
never-ending reserve of trust and second chances for him. But we often give up on
hope in the Holy Spirit, the second companion, when his timing or methods are
different than our own.
Let
me challenge you today to pay attention to which companion you are keeping
company with.
GOING
DEEPER:
Which companion will you choose to serve and trust?
Which companion will you choose to serve and trust?
Sarah is married to Scott and is a
full-time mom to their two young sons. She and Scott are involved in a small
group focused on prayer.
