Dear CCPC Family,

"Hold fast to our hope; don't waiver;
believe God's promise we see fulfilled in Jesus.
Let us prod one another to love and good works,
remaining in contact with the fellowship; not tiring of discipleship."
-Hebrews 10:23-24 (paraphrase)

It has been years since I felt the weight of parenting small children and infants. At one point, I parented three children under the age of 5. Like many others, I spent more than eight years with at least one child in diapers! I have fond memories of those days, but I also remember the heaviness of the responsibility. I have particular memories of the years my husband spent working on his Doctor of Ministry degree and the weeks he spent away in study and writing. The cry from a child in the middle of the night; the temper tantrum at dinnertime; the unexpected fever as I prepared everyone for a day of work and school and child care -- each made more trying because I knew there was no back-up!

If I grew weary of the work, it didn't matter. If I had a rough day or a sad experience at the church, it didn't matter. The children's needs had to be met, and my love for them helped me hang in there. Friends -- mostly other mothers of small children -- helped as well! Their example and encouragement were lights of hope and joy. To this day, I give thanks for those relationships and for the way they buoyed my spirit and made me a better mother.

The author of Hebrews reminds us that some who follow Christ grow weary of the weight of the task set before them. Whole churches grow weary and withdraw from the mission God has placed before them. When faced with concerns and issues or with work to be done, some believers simply slipped away, tired of the demands of discipleship, and weary of the work necessary to fulfill Christ's call. The author counsels an unwavering hope and work ethic. Just as a loving parent transcends weariness to meet their children's needs, the Christian doesn't tire of the demands of discipleship because of the love we know in our Savior Jesus. And just as young families need our encouragement and support, disciples of Jesus Christ are not meant to be lone rangers. We need one another to poke and prod and love us into usefulness in the Body of Christ.

New life begins when following Christ is no longer a duty, no longer work to be done, and no longer about us. Resurrection happens when we recognize and celebrate Christ in our midst, and when we feel that power irresistibly prodding us to love and good works.

"The plans of the mind belong to mortals, but the answer is from the Lord.
All one's ways may be pure in one's own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established."
-Proverbs 16:1-3

Dr. Stacy L. Ikard
Associate Pastor

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