Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, “Lord, prop us up on our leanin’ side.”
After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.
He answered, “Well, sir, you see it’s like this ... I got an old barn out back. It’s been there a long time. It’s withstood a lot of weather. It’s gone through a lot of storms, and it’s stood for many years. It’s still standing, but one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn’t fall.
“Then I got to thinking ‘bout that and how much I was like that old barn. I been around a long time; I’ve withstood a lot of life’s storms; I’ve withstood a lot of bad weather in life; I’ve withstood a lot of hard times, and I’m still standing, too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time., so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leanin’ side, ‘cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times.”
– via mikeysfunnies.com
The old deacon had it right. We all get to leanin’ at times because of everything that has been “beating” on us. Whether it’s health issues, financial problems, relationship difficulties, or any combination of the demands and heartbreaks of life, our spiritual house can begin to tilt. We’ve all felt this; some more so than others.
In times like these we must take action to get ourselves “propped up.” If we don’t, we just might collapse. And people do dreadful things when that happens: walk away from God, commit suicide, turn to drugs, hurt somebody, etc. It’s not pretty as we say. When Paul was being hounded by Satan’s messenger he wrote: “I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” Christ will prop you up, too. Believe it.
><> Jeff
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