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Give The Gift of Yourself |
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November 26, 2000 |
| We had gone
to Amarillo to hear our Traci sing a solo at the church our youngest son
and his family attend. Traci, 12, had the lead in the children's choir.
We sat on the second pew from the front. This "Mawmaw" had to
have a ringside seat.
I noticed an elderly man shuffling down the aisle. He sat down beside my daughter-in-law. Before church began, the song leader had the congregation to greet each other and Kari shook the man's hand and introduced herself. After church, while dining at the restaurant, Kari looked across the room. "Look girls," she said to our granddaughters, "There's Fred. I met him at church." Traci and her little sister listened attentively while their mom continued: "He seems so lonely. Let's talk to him before we leave." We finished our meal and were leaving the restaurant when I noticed that Kari and my granddaughters were not with us. I had forgotten all about Fred. We had waited several minutes in the lobby when Traci and Kallie appeared, bounding with excitement: "Mawmaw, we met Fred. Mommie is still talking to him. He's a nice man and he's all alone. He doesn't walk very good but he says he's doing the best he can. He was so happy to meet us. He thanked us for taking the time to talk to him. He said we had just made his day!" Kari joined us and told the girls how proud she was that they had reached out in kindness to a lonely soul. I had just witnessed the love of Jesus in action: "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thy self" (Luke 10:27). Kari and the girls had taken the time to share their lives with someone else. They came away blessed. "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). There are many "Freds" out there. Many lonely people face one of life's greatest challenges. Growing older, losing a mate or a body that can no longer do what it once could are hard adjustments. Knowing that it will happen to all of us keeps life in perspective. Reaching out to others repels the enemy of love, which is selfishness. Little things can mean so much in someone's life. One Christmas our family went caroling. A lady in particular was touched just by our coming. She had recently lost her husband. Tears rolled down her cheeks as we sang. She was spending the first Christmas alone without her husband. Every time I see her, she mentions what that one incident meant to her. The greatest gift is the gift of yourself. That's what Jesus did! Kari, Traci and Kallie gave themselves away that day. I will try to do that too. "Lord, give us strength and courage to bring comfort and cheer to others. Help us to do what we can to brighten lives and homes. In His name. Amen." |