Day 36: Suppo Means Support
Acts 20:35: (KJV) “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
I was sending a memo to our ship’s supply officer. We call the supply officer “suppo” for short. I am a notoriously poor speller, so I never send a document without running the computer spell checker. When the program came across the word “suppo,” the first suggestion was to change the word to support. I thought to myself that the suggested correction was not far from the truth. The ship’s supply officer is the essence of support and is known for that throughout the ship. She has one of the largest departments on board and thus is in constant demand. I have yet to hear her complain about the drain on her department or to operate in any other way than that of a professional, and joyfully as it were.
Our “suppo” seems to have internalized the message presented in the book of Acts. This is a message that is easy to hear but difficult to do. It is natural to consider self-preservation first; to do the inverse goes against the grain of our human condition. Therefore we must rely on scripture as our ultimate guide and examples like the JFK supply officer as practical examples of how we are to behave. When we are able to heed the scriptures, our names, too, can be substituted for support. Our prayer:
Lord make me a helper of people, sometimes even against my own will,
Help me place my needs second to others, command my human nature to be still,
To understand that only by giving your love I am able, better, to receive,
I want to be an example of support, that all, in you, might believe.
Questions to Consider:
- How much support have I given others?
- How do I increase my willingness to provide support?
Reflection for the Day:
- When others help me, consider how that makes me feel. Consider, as well, the inverse.
