Submitted by Pastor Donna Clark Fuller,

Rock Port and Watson United Methodist Churches

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Romans 8:26

Do we really know what we can do if we call on the Holy Spirit of God for help? We can all become so focused on what we can do by ourselves that when we find we can’t do something, we end up just getting stuck. We can’t see a way around the problem and we just stay in a place of being frustrated. We forget to call on the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit is always there to help us, to show us doors that can open for us, solutions to problems that we could never imagine by ourselves.

Sometimes we are so focused on what we are pursuing that we can’t see what else is possible. Maybe the path we are on is not a good path in the first place. Maybe what we are trying to accomplish is not really the will of God. If we have a goal for ourselves that ignores others who might be hurt by what we are doing, it is probably not something that God wants, and it will probably hurt us as well as hurting others. The Holy Spirit can show us other paths, other goals that we can strive for and try to achieve. The Holy Spirit can show us a bigger picture of the world than just our own small corner.

What can the Holy Spirit inspire us to do with others? Sometimes problems are not just our own, but affect our community or the larger world. By inspiring us to work with others on behalf of a greater good, the Holy Spirit can help us accomplish greater goals than those just for ourselves.

We have many problems in the world today, problems that affect us, our families, and a lot of people in the world. The COVID-19 virus is a difficult problem for us all. We live in a country deeply divided by politics and increasingly stifled by that division from accomplishing anything useful. We have economic problems, environmental problems, health care concerns, and many other issues. Discussions are increasingly marked by division, with anger, name calling, and just outright hatred directed against the “other” side. When we cannot engage with others out of respect, we sink into our human weakness and shut out the voice of the Holy Spirit.

But when we listen to the Spirit, when we humble ourselves enough to know that we need the help of the Spirit, we become able to hear others, work with others, and see a vision greater than any side we create. We see what we can accomplish when all “sides” contribute to a solution. We see far down the road to a better future. We see the vision God has for us.