Will they run like hired hands?
- Laura Obier
- Jun 29, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 22, 2022
“I received much needed encouragement from John 10 this morning. I have felt alone, lacking support and encouragement from where I expected it most!
God is in this experience.
The people I assumed would come running to my aid have let me down. (my forsaken group.)
But, the people I was not in everyday communion with, have joined me in this journey. They have proven to be faithful and compassionate.
God, reveal to me what you are telling me through these conflicting communities.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming… I know my own sheep, and they know me.” John 10:11-14
When Allison’s tumor came back, Jesus did not run and hide like a hired hand. No, He came running to my sister and is carrying her in His mighty arms. She is safe. She is held close.”
This journal entry was written on May 18, 2014. The experience was a wake up call for me; it exposed my false sense of community. God was surely in it. My family switched churches and a new community welcomed us. They embraced me as I was, broken – scared – heavily burdened, linked arms with me, and walked me through my sister’s illness and death.
Am I angry and insulted that my commitment to community was not reciprocated where I most expected it? Where we had been involved for 8+ years? I was. To my own shame, there are still a few people I wish to not interact with and am thankful our paths have not crossed. But, that’s not right and I need to forgive and move on.
A lady from my forsaken group reached out to me a year ago and we had a heart to heart about what happened. How my family disappeared with no goodbye and joined another church. She is a precious woman and I am thankful we could be honest with one another. She helped me to see that the silence was not intentional. They simply did not know how to address such a devastating situation. And, I get that. I probably would have done the same thing had I never joined our new church…
Our home church is the image of Christ. They go into the trenches with you. They don’t have all the answers. But, they have Love. God’s Love. That’s all we need in this world. God’s Love. God’s unfailing Love.
When people let you down, which happens a lot during grief, try to find the good. God might be revealing something to you through the isolation and hurt. Always remember, Jesus never runs away… He runs to you.
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