After it arrived, Ryan said thoughtfully, "We need to do more things like this for others. It's always such an encouragement when it happens to us. We need to do more of it ourselves."
And while I don't disagree with him, the Lord laid on my heart the ways He has given us to help those in need in other ways.
* One of our friends is due with her second baby any day now, and a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that I wasn't sure if they had anyone close by to watch their two year old when labor arrives. I sent a text offering to watch her, and they said YES! Our friend went on to say that she had been worrying about who to ask, and she didn't want to bother us because she knows we are so busy. Well, yes we are, but the beauty of this job is that we can watch a baby while we work if we need to! Regardless of when she goes into labor - day or night, we're here, and we can easily and happily watch a little girl until family arrives in town! It meant so much to me that simply offering to be a stopping point for their daughter was offering a blessing they needed.
* I spent yesterday working on a birthday party for one of our tenants, whose big day is today. As I baked the cake and spread the frosting over the top of it, and as Ryan went to the store to pick up all the food for the party, I thought about the beauty and responsibility of throwing birthday parties. I remember when I was a kid and my mom planned great parties for me and my friends. She always asked what food I wanted and made sure I had balloons and cake and presents. Even though I didn't know how to express it at that time in my life, I felt loved because I had family who acknowledged my birthday. And now, for a short season, we get to be those people for our tenants. No, we're not family. But we're the ones doing life with them, and we're the ones who get to try to remind them how valuable they are as we acknowledge their lives.
* One of my friends wasn't feeling well last week, so I checked on her a few times by text. To be honest with you, I felt like a pretty lousy friend. But out of the blue, she sent me a message saying what she needed most was a friend who cared, and I did that with my texts. I really felt like it wasn't nearly enough, but in her mind, it was exactly what she needed. Such a little thing...with a bigger impact than I knew.
I don't say any of these things to boast at all, but I say them to remind all of us that little things can mean more than you know. And in the moments when you feel like you're really not doing anything...you actually are.
2 comments:
Sometimes the smallest acts say the most!
My coworker lost her husband unexpectedly in June, and I texted her the next day, and she ended up calling me a couple of times over the next few days. I realized then that she really does think of me as a close friend, so I dropped off food and stayed to visit with her until her daughters got home from some errands. When she recently had hip replacement and had to put her dog down in the same week, I called and texted, and then picked up lunch for her and her daughter and stayed and shared the meal with them. It was just interesting how these crises defined our friendship and showed me that she needed me.
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