| Bent-Over Love - article by Joel Hempel Walking across our yard is Mel, our postman —Mel, our male mailman! Every day, through the worst weather, there he is, faithfully doing his job with his head bowed so low I suspect he can no longer stand straight. Decades of delivering precious cargo will do that to the strongest among us. I look at Mel and think, bent-over love. Of course, he does it for a paycheck, but after all these years, it’s important —if not necessary —that he complete his route. None of us needs the junk mail, but all of us need that bill and birthday card. Bent-over love! Have you noticed our two bent-over lovers at church? How can you miss them! No, they’re not that kind of lover. Their love is much deeper and out in the open. Jack is the first to greet guests, is affirming of everyone he meets, and loves giving a piece of candy to the kids who seek him out every Sunday. And Judy, do you notice how her grandchildren love on her? That doesn’t happen without her first having loved them and being a loving person herself. I look at Jack and Judy and admire them. I admire the way they work through adversities, get back to living, and keep loving. Life has a way of smacking us around, obviously, and our model hero and heroine have endured their share of smack-downs. Did I just call them superheroes? Yes. Because you don’t have to jump over tall buildings in a single bound to be a superhero or a model Christian. What is required of people like Mel, Judy, and Jack is to keep going. When hardship hits, when life weighs on you, leaving your life severely bent, you seek the strength and courage of God to resist breaking. You keep going! How do we keep going? Ask our superheroes: I know what I am still able to do, and it’s because I am with the Lord. Praying every day throughout the day reminds me of Jesus – what he has done for me and what he can still do through me..1 Is God through with Judy? Not a chance! God’s not finished with me, so I want to be available for Him. I had a stroke, and it gets in my way, but I keep looking around to see who I can help.2 Rain or shine, in the heat of the day and through freezing cold, superheroes keep going. In time and because of adversity, they may have to slow down. But by the grace of God, they will not be stopped. None of us is more powerful than a locomotive. But all of us have the power of the Spirit to do and be what God has called us to until he calls us home.
1. Jack Bentzinger. 2. Judy Sowers. | 
