Weak or Strong?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”(Matthew 11:28-30)

I wonder how many people stay away from church because they are broken and imperfect. After all we would never stay away from the doctor's office because we were sick, or out of the grocery store if we were hungry. I can appreciate the sentiment all too well though. There have been times when I have sat in church, my heart breaking, my world crumbling around me, and I have looked at the people around me and thought they had it all together, that I had best not allow anyone to know the pain I was in. I could not admit to my weakness, to my fear, to my doubt, or worst of all to my anger or my disappointment. I could not ask for the help I desperately needed. Thank God He had put wise and astute friends in my circle, who could see the hurt I was denying and who pursued me to offer a helping hand.
More than pat answers, even more than their prayers sometimes, what I needed was to be heard. Having someone I trusted to talk to, weep with, to really listen to me was such an amazing gift. And very often I came to my own answers, my own solutions, but I needed to talk my way to them.
John Donne wrote "no man is an island", Paul expressed it this way: And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.(! Corinthians 12:19-21)" We all need each other. When I struggled through my first divorce and the horror of the custody trial I took comfort in knowing that I was gaining wisdom and understanding that might some day be of comfort or assistance to somebody else. Today I can offer my life as living proof that life does get better, that God meets our need where we are. I know first hand the power of the smallest gesture. It is so easy to say "I'll pray for you", hearing the prompting of Holy Spirit and acting on it is not. But that hurting soul in front of you may need practical Christianity-groceries, cash, or maybe someone to listen, pour a cup of coffee & let heartbreak pour out. When I was going through a difficult time I had a wonderful friend bring me dinner once a week-and as wonderful as coming home at the end of the day to a find a lovely meal in a cooler on my doorstep, the real gift was knowing somebody remembered me. And if you are the one who is hurting, believe me when I tell you we find our greatest strength in admitting we are weak. Don't be afraid to lean on the people God put in your life for just that reason. The devil likes to keep us apart, hiding behind false smiles and veneers of strength and perfection. We are all stones in each other's walls, we support & strengthen each other. I'll be obsidian when you feel like talc.
What is your weakness are you concealing? How could you give or receive practical Christianity?