Nancy is hosting Pat and Jenny's idea to day - to share a blessing that God has given you, and one that you have "paid it forward". Read the whole assignment here.
Nancy is so humble, she didn't want to be credited for the things she's done in service to the Lord. I admire that in her, as I'm very different. While on the one hand, I love to love the Lord - by serving His Children - I also love to love the Lord by sharing what I've done. I don't share to gain my own glory - I share because I think these sorts of acts of kindness are so far from our current society that we need to encourage one another in how to reach out and show God's Love. We need to show each other how to "listen to the prodding of the Lord" and how to listen to the hurting and the needy in our community. Very rarely in our world will people actually ASK for help. It's our duty to be listening - listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit - and listening to the little hints from our community which tells us there's a need.
Back when I was a young Christian, I was mentored by a woman who just really knew how to listen to God. First, our first week in service, she reached over the pew and invited us to her weekly Bible study. She told us to bring the kids, others did. Eventually as the kids got bigger, and noisier, she decided that she would pay for a babysitter for us so that we could still come, but not have a financial burden. Sometime during that time, someone signed me up for a food basket for some holiday - and then someone signed me up for winter clothing for my little boys. I never found out who it was, but I suspect she was the one. She just knew that because my husband was a student, and I didn't work, and we had 3 little children - that money must be tight. She was right. - That time in my life was a real blessing from the Lord, not only in the tangible things that were provided for me - but in the learning - the mentoring that she gave me. I will never forget her love for me.
So, now I take what she taught me and I pay that sort of thing forward. Last year I went to visit a friend who had a new baby. They were in the process of trying to sell their house, for they could not afford to live there anymore. I noticed one day that the piano was gone. She'd sold it. Now upon reflecting, I realized that a woman who PLAYS her piano doesn't sell it easily, she must have been very tight financially. I went to my elders and asked them if we could help. They gave me a gift card to the mega grocery store - which has a gas station affiliated. I hesitated to give her this gift card. I didn't want to offend her in any way. She had never said they were in financial dire straits. I walked up to the door, knocked and nearly in tears for fear of offending my friend, I handed her the gift card. Just then, her husband came in from the back yard. In a kind of shock, she showed her husband. I excused myself, saying I had to pick up my son from the dentist, and went away. She sent me an e-mail that day, telling me that her husband had an opportunity to get a job - he's a self employed cabinetmaker who builds custom kitchens. He had been outside walking and praying as I drove up the driveway - he was asking God how he was going to get to this job to put in a quote, he didn't have any gas in the van. My heeding the voice of God provided them with money for gas, food and he got the job.
Other things I have passed on: When I moved from Kingston to Saskatchewan, I was overwhelmed with the job of packing. A friend called, said she was coming, arrived with donuts and told me, my job was to keep the coffee coming. She stayed with me for two days, helping me get packed up, and the day the movers came, she was there with donuts for the moving crew and kept me company and kept order - she saved my sanity! Now, I don't let friends move alone. I have helped dozens of friends move - knowing it's just overwhelming to pick up your life and take it somewhere else. Our congregation is also great at this, people will show up with trucks and muscles and move people within the city - nothing like a dozen or so people from your faith community coming together - to WORK together - to tend to the needs of one of our own. I've been blessed to watch my then 12yos work along side a man in his retirement years, as they built computer furniture for a newly moved family - it was the beginning of an intergenerational relationship between them.
I've picked up hitchhikers, brought them home for the night (they usually bunk in the hayloft - or tent in the yard) and fed them. There's nothing greater than meeting these exciting young people - learning of their traveling adventures - and sharing my faith with them as God opens that door. One time we had a sweet French couple who were riding their bikes across Canada come stay. We prayed before the meal. After dinner, they asked me about the fact that we prayed, did we do it every day? It gave me a chance to share my testimony - in French. Who knows what seeds were planted that day - did God water them, did they sprout and grow? Another time I picked up a young woman who had been abandoned by her boyfriend in our city, she was trying to get home to another city. She was only wearing a tank top and shorts. I couldn't imagine how she was going to survive the cold of that night. I brought her home, fed her, got her a coat I didn't wear anymore and gave her some money so she could get a bite to eat down the road. She asked me why I was being so nice. I told her I couldn't imagine being in her situation, my husband would never abandon me like that and leave me alone and in such a dangerous situation.. this was the least I could do.
And lastly.. Yeshua forgave me my sins - everyone of them. Those I had done before I met him, those I still do today, and those I'll do in the future. Paying it forward, I've learned to forgive those who sin against me. I forgave my father for the abuse I suffered as a child, I've forgiven friends for hurts they've done recently, and I know that there will come another day when I'll have to forgive again - because life's like that.
I pray that as you've read my testimonies, that you'll see, it's all God working through me, because I have been greatly blessed, it's because of this that I can in turn greatly bless.
From Matthew 25
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, accompanied by all the angels, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. 33 The `sheep' he will place at his right hand and the `goats' at his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest, 36 I needed clothes and you provided them, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the people who have done what God wants will reply, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and make you our guest, or needing clothes and provide them? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' 40 The King will say to them, `Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!' 41 "Then he will also speak to those on his left, saying, `Get away from me, you who are cursed! Go off into the fire prepared for the Adversary and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 a stranger and you did not welcome me, needing clothes and you did not give them to me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they too will reply, `Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, needing clothes, sick or in prison, and not take care of you?' 45 And he will answer them, `Yes! I tell you that whenever you refused to do it for the least important of these people, you refused to do it for me!' 46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life."
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Apr. 30, 2008 - Hey Sombra~
Nancy