Five Very Meaningful Words --- When They Are Meant

By Jim Faughn

    Somewhere decisions are being made and actions are being taken that may make headlines around the world. The course of human history might even be affected.
    Somewhere a person or a group of people will be taking steps to introduce “the next big thing” to the public. Millions of dollars may depend on whether or not the next step is taken.
    Somewhere a loved one is wondering how to advise a parent, sibling, child, or friend about a proposed treatment and/or surgery. Life and death may truly be in the balance.
    And somewhere a small group of men is involved in something that is more important than all of these things combined. What they do or do not do; what they say or do not say; what they decide or do not decide all have eternal significance.
    Souls may be saved or lost. The church may grow stronger in a particular location or it may be on its way out of existence.
    These men are elders of a local congregation of God’s people. Each of them realizes his own weaknesses and fallibility. Collectively, they will readily acknowledge their need for wisdom and strength.
    That’s why there are five words that are so meaningful to them --- when they are meant. I heard them not long ago. They were said by a person who knows a little about what those of us who serve as elders of this congregation deal with. (In case you don’t know this, nobody, not even the wife of an elder, can ever fully know all that occupies the mind and time of an elder.)
    I knew the person who said those words well enough to know that they were from the heart. They were not just said in passing or because it seemed to be the appropriate thing to say at the time.
    Every elder I know would love to hear those words. They would be encouraged to know that somebody cares enough to say --- and mean --- those five words.
    So what are those five words that are so meaningful? What would every elder want to hear? What could make such a difference in an elder, an eldership, a congregation, and the entire brotherhood?
    We pray for you all.

- Jim Faughn, a retired preacher, serves as an elder for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org