Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies
Proverbs 31:10
Shrieking into the silent morning, the alarm clock rouses her. She rolls over, fumbles her hand over the nightstand and fingers the top of the offensive instrument. Blessed silence descends once the correct button is pressed.
It might be another typical morning. Or maybe it’s a day when an opportunity to meet the needs of another person interferes with the regular routine.
“She opens her hand to the poor, yes; she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit]”
Proverbs 31:20 (AMP)
Are we ready to serve at a moment’s notice?
There are several ways to open up to people encountered on our rutted road. I’m always amazed at how the smallest things seem to make the greatest impact. Often, we will never know how we helped another person.
Here is a sampling of grace from my own experiences. Five things we can do to make a difference in our community:
- Smile: My name is written in Heaven, so I have plenty to smile about. Even if it’s pouring down rain, I dropped my purse in a puddle and my grocery list is sitting on the counter at home while I’m at the store, I can smile. Smiling at another person will brighten their day. I’ve had people snarl at me when I smiled at them, but when I didn’t let them detour me, I could see them second-guessing their own attitude. Smiling is so simple – and it’s good for your health, too.
- Lend a hand: Maybe it’s the older lady whose cart takes off without her or the young mother struggling to juggle her baby and the toddler with endless energy. There’s always someone who could use a helping hand. The more insignificant the act seems to you, the more likely it will impact that person. I once helped an older lady by lifting her trunk lid when she was carrying an armload of groceries. The relief in her eyes meant more to me than finding a wallet of hundred dollar bills ever could.
- Say something kind: It’s amazing to me that people can walk through a day isolated from other people. They go to the store and speak to no one. They never look anyone in the eye. Why? I believe it’s because they’ve been hurt more than helped by incidental interactions. Christ made himself available to everyone, whether little children or an ailing old woman. It has never hurt me to say, “Hello” to people I pass, or “Thank you” if they hold the door or step aside so I can pass. Be kind today. It makes an impression.
- Connect: This is where we’ve really dropped the ball in our age of electronic communication and rushing around to accomplish a long “to do” list. We might smile or greet people, but we never stop to really engage them. Years ago, my husband and I smiled and greeted a woman who had been visiting our church. Then we stopped our cart (yes, I wanted to get out of there and go home) and asked how she was doing. We looked her in the eye. We listened to what she had to say. It took all of two minutes, and, thinking back, I feel there is no better way to show Christ’s love for people in such a short amount of time.
- Listen to the Holy Spirit: Sometimes I’ll get the urge to do something crazy – like talk to a stranger in the long line at WalMart. If this happens to you, do it. I’ve found that these brief interactions are promptings from the Lord. Too often, I choose to turn a deaf ear to that “feeling” that I should go down a certain aisle at the store. In retrospect, I know that every one of these moments was a missed opportunity. God planned an encounter, brief and seemingly inconsequential to my finite mind, with a person in need of one of these tiny outreaches. I missed a blessing – but worse, someone went away empty when God was trying use me as the hands that touched them.
It’s nice to consider large community outreaches – serving at a homeless shelter or delivering food to the less fortunate. Christians should include such activities in our lives, and teach our children the importance of being Christ “with skin on.”
But the simple things are even more important. To clothe ourselves with true Christianity, we should be ready to share a smile or a word at any every moment.
A Pew Perspective 