It’s one thing to say you care, and another to show you care. Quite honestly, it seems to be getting easier to tell the difference in everyday life. For instance, the person who says, “Yes, I really hope that Sally is doing okay with the children; her son with special needs is a handful. I’ll be praying for her.” Prayer is great, and always the first thing we should do, but that is the prayer part. How might the care part look? It might be as simple as:
Sending a note in the mail
Offering to prepare a meal
Asking via a phone call when you might stop by to do some cleaning
Offering to run an errand
Doing the grocery shopping
Watching the children.
There are needs everywhere and all around us. We know we can’t do everything, but we can certainly begin to sense when God is nudging us or calling us to do something to provide for another. We might need help to learn to listen to God’s nudging and not turn our heads; we might need help to become discerning to His voice and not harden our hearts when needs are not convenient or because it’s not what we want to do.
I sadly recall a conversation with a man at church who said, “I don’t often ask people how they are because depending on what they say, I might have to do something.” He wasn’t being funny; he was quite serious.
We can talk about how lovely the willing heart is, and how beautiful acts of kindness are in reflecting God’s love, played out in acts of service, but yet we often stop short of the “doing” part because it’s just not something we want to step out to do. May we be ashamed of ourselves for such selfishness. May we be willing to do what God asks of us, and put our hands and hearts into serving with gladness.
I know we are not called to do everything, but we are certainly called to do what we can. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”
If we are able, and certainly if we are willing, we can make an offer to do something good for another. Let’s take today to look for that opportunity and do it with joy.
Dr. Joe and Cindi Ferrini are authors, speakers, and bloggers for several blogging sites on family and special needs. They speak nationally for FamilyLife Weekend To Remember Marriage Get-a-Ways, authored Unexpected Journey – When Special Needs Change our Course, and have been interviewed on Focus on the Family, FamilyLife, and various other radio and television venues. Connect with them at www.cindiferrini.com and social media at: www.facebook.com/cindi.ferrini, www.facebook.com/UnexpectedJourney/, www.facebook.com/MyMarriageMatters/
ANNOUNCING: Their newest book: Love All-Ways: Embracing Marriage Together on the Special Needs Journey is available for pre-order through their website!
