“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” -Colossians 1:16-17

I was telling my small group recently that lately I have been feeling like the joint in the middle of a mobile, one that carries the toys above a crib.

I imagine on that “mobile” are all the employees of the church, the bills the ministry has to pay, the needs of people within the church, many of them very serious. There are people that are dying, those that were just kicked out of their homes, couples that are going through divorces.

So, pastors carry that and also their personal family lives, and friendships, and their own bills. So, if I’m this joint in the middle, holding together all these things, I can’t help but think, “If I disappear, if something happened to me, what would happen to all of these revolving pieces?”

I began to pray into that and realized that a big part of being a Christian is not being that joint. Although we have responsibilities, and although we matter, Christ is the joint. He is what is holding us all together. If something happens to me or to you, it will be okay. He’ll take care of us, and he’ll take care of the people that we’re responsible for.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, show me my part in helping to take care of others, but thank you for releasing me from having to be everything for everybody. You are the one who holds it all together. Amen.

REFLECTION: What parts of others’ lives do you hold together that need to be released to God?