What2Say2Day? In preparation for tomorrow's Bible study I read 2 Kings 2:1-12 this morning. I was especially moved by Elisha's conviction of not leaving Elijah's side while he traveled his final days to the place where God would take him away. Elisha and Elijah worked closely for about 10 years as they traveled through the wilderness from town to town to teach others about the scriptures and how God is working in their lives.
Elisha was Elijah's closest disciple as (the story has us assuming) he is the one that has been chosen to take Elijah's place when he moves on. Although these two were not related I'm going to take an educated guess and say that the relationship these two had were that of father and son, if not closer. So when Elijah tries to chase Elisha away it's very touching to me that his response is, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you".
Elisha says that not once, not twice, but three times. Three times he refuses to leave his mentor, teacher, friend, and "father" alone to face an imminent death by himself. As I sit back and let this passage sink in I realize that this may be the kind of conviction today's relationships are lacking. Couples are more likely to separate after the first major fight than they are to find ways to make it work.
On this Valentine's Day let's take a closer look at our relationships and ask ourselves, "Am I willing to never leave this person's side, even as they travel through the most difficult times of their lives?" If the answer is anything less than an absolute yes ask yourself this: "What can I do to make it so?"
In Christianity we believe Jesus never leaves our side. We should do the same for others, don't you think?
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