Years have passed by, but the feelings that filled my heart are still fresh in my memory. One of our daughters lives in far off Kirandul in Chattisgarh, then known as Madhya Pradesh. She was expecting her first baby. I desired very much to be beside her to help her at the time of her need. My employment and the long distance between us (we being in Tamil Nadu) prevented me.
But no regrets! She found a mother in one aunty, whose family had endeared my son-in-law, even before he had married her. When we had a chance to visit my daughter, she showed me the many useful things that aunty had given her with love. Tears swelled my eyes, to find the Lord we trusted to be very faithful.
Then my daughter spoke thus, “Ma, we used to wonder about you, ‘why our mum is going here and there even at the risk of leaving the house and daughters at odd times to help others’ since daddy worked and lived in a far off place. Now we understand and we are reaping what you had sowed.” Oh! What a joy! The wise Solomon knew about it when he wrote, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again,” (Eccl 11:1 NIV).
The New Testament is clearer on this. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38 NIV). Paul goes on to say, “God makes His grace abound so that we will abound in every good work,” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV).
Paul also says that by doing good we will be able to please the Lord and know Him better, “Then the way you live will always honour and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better” (Col 1:10 NLT). He exhorts Titus to “be ready to do whatever is good,” (Titus 3:1 NIV). And he goes on to say that the basic reason is because, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Eph 2:10 NIV). I had inherited this habit of extending hospitality even to strangers from my mother. Our daughters too unconsciously imbibed this character.
We never waited for others to ask for help. Our Good Lord has given us a very sensitive heart, to have empathy and extend a helping hand at many an urgent need. I think as Christians, we have a great responsibility to live as per our Lord’s expectations. That is why, if only each and every Christian becomes a role model for the younger generation to follow, the whole world would have heard about whatever our Savior wanted him or her to know by this time. That is why St. Paul says, “You are our Epistle written in our hearts known and read by all men.” (2 Corinthians 3:2, NIV). There are always people around us with several needs, if not financial, they may need a comforting word or two.
A few ways we could help others are as follows; it could with the neighbor’s or with people at Church or colleagues at work place or even complete strangers on the roadside – Get to know your neighbor’s, especially if they are new to your street.; Visit families with a newborn child and lend a helping hand; Visit older people and spend time with them; If someone has a sick baby and also have other small children, offer to baby-sit while they take the baby to the doctor; Help the elderly if they are living alone by shopping for them, or if sick, taking them to the doctor or take a good home-cooked meal once in a while or You could also help someone who has met with an accident by taking them to the nearest hospital. Above all, ask God to give a sensitive heart to sense others’ needs and extend a timely help. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:16, NIV)
Author: Ms. Jayaseeli Paul is a retired Lecturer from Government College of Education, Coimbatore. She is now actively involved in prayer and counseling with various ministries.
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