Adopting a Grandparent

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” – Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)

Jason was just eight when his grandfather came to live with his family. Despite the fact that he was crippled from a spinal disease, his grandfather was still mentally present.

“We hung out together after school. He taught me how to shuffle cards, grow a garden, and helped me with my homework.”

But three years later, his grandfather needed more care than Jason’s family could provide so they moved him to a nursing home.

Jason visited as often as he could and would bring treats and other small gifts. When he noticed his grandfather’s roommate never had visitors, he asked his mom about it.

“Well, not everyone has family or sometimes they have family who lives far away and can’t visit very often.” She explained. “But if you want, you can ask to adopt him as your grandpa, too.”

Adopting an elderly nursing home resident or a senior in your community is a great way to show the love of Jesus. You can minister by driving an elderly person to the grocery store or doctor’s office. You can help out by cutting their lawn or cleaning their gutters.

God, put a senior in my path who needs friend. Let me shower this person with kindness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Doing Small Things with Great Love

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Paul owned a large 13-passenger van that he drove to church every Sunday. He used the van to transport those who wouldn’t be able to attend unless they had a ride like Doris and her granddaughter, Katie.

One week, Paul was in a great mood. After months of scrimping and budgeting, he and his wife had managed to save enough to buy a new washing machine. Since their old one had gone out months ago, they had to drive to a laundromat that was miles away. Not wanting to go further into debt, they’d patiently saved.

When Paul stopped outside of Doris and Katie’s tiny house, he got out and helped the disabled woman inside the warm van. Katie, her teenage daughter, hopped into the passenger seat with her usual enthusiasm.

After she finished off a granola bar, Katie pulled off her boots and Paul glanced down. He could see just a bit of plastic bag sticking out of the top of her sock. “They leak?”

The girl flushed, “Yeah, just a little.”

“My grandpa use to do the same thing,” Paul said, giving her a gentle smile.

When Paul got home that night, he told his wife about Katie. Together, they agreed to hold off on the purchase of their new washer for a few more weeks. Instead, they got the girl a gift certificate to a local shoe store and quietly slipped it to Doris.

The next week at work, Paul’s boss called him in. He told him he’d been doing a great job and gave him an unexpected holiday bonus for the same amount as the gift card.

God when I see others in need, give me the courage to act. Help me be filled with compassion for those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Showing Love to Your Co-Workers

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” – Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

Helen was the hiring manager at a large company. She had spent time studying The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, a book about the different ways people prefer to receive love. She’d already experienced the power of identifying the love languages of her friends and family.

Now, she wanted to apply what she learned to her professional life, too. She began studying her co-workers, looking to understand what motivated each one and how they preferred to have their accomplishments celebrated.

She started with Delaney and quickly discovered the woman loved acts of service. So when Helen noticed Delaney was stressed one day, she offered to do a task for the other woman so she could catch up on work.

Then she turned her attention to her supervisor, Margret. The woman always had a sour expression and always seemed like she wanted to be anywhere but work.

Helen paid attention and eventually found that Margret preferred to receive gifts. So, she learned how she liked her coffee and bought an extra cup each afternoon to give to her supervisor.

Learning about love languages made it easier for Helen to share her appreciation for her co-workers. It also improved office morale and made a positive impact on the company’s work environment.

God, please help me to show my co-workers and others Your love. Give me insight so I can effectively reach out to those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Letters of Love

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” – Romans 12:10 (NIV)

On one cold January morning, Mary decided her New Year’s resolution would be to let her family members and friends know how much she loved them. She’d always loved writing, so she chose to write letters to those she cared about.

Each month, Mary would write 2-3 letters, each one to a different person. She would start by praising the receiver for a spiritual gift they had and pointing out ways she’d seen that gift at work in their life.

In a letter to her son, James she pointed out how he had a wonderful ability to teach. She shared funny memories of him teaching his stuffed animals when he was a toddler then his younger siblings when they were born.

When she wrote to her childhood friend, Mary praised the other woman’s gift of healing. She commented on some of the lives she’d been able to change with her tender care and compassion.

Before beginning the letters, Mary always took a day or two to pray over the person. She asked God to show her how to encourage the recipient and build them up. Then she’d sit down to write and trust that God would direct her words.

Writing a letter can be a wonderful way to express your love and devotion for someone. Share a funny memory, express appreciation for what they do, or praise them for a spiritual gift.

God, help me to build others up. I want to be an encouragement to those around me! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

When You Love Differently…

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” – John 15:12 (NIV)

Candace had spent the day running errands for her son’s birthday party the next day. The day had been rainy and cold. When she arrived home, she realized she’d forgotten the balloons and cake at her local grocery store.

She sighed and turned to go back out when her husband stopped her. He handed her a mug of her favorite coffee. “You’ve been on your feet all day. Let me take care of this and you relax. I’ve already got dinner in the oven.”

Candace smiled and accepted the warm mug gratefully. As she watched her husband grab the umbrella and head back out, she couldn’t help but reflect on their early years as a married couple. She’d been frustrated that her husband said nothing more than the occasional, “I love you”. She longed for words of affirmation.

When she shared the concern with an elderly woman at her church, the woman smiled. She explained that Candace’s husband was probably showing love in a different way.

Once Candace realized her husband liked to show her he cared by doing things for her, like taking out the garbage or making dinner for her. Once she understood this, Candace was able to hear him say, “I love you” in the way he washed her car, mowed the lawn, and helped with the grocery shopping.

God, help me to hear the different ways my friends and family show me that they love me. Teach me how to return their affection in the way they need me to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

The Greatest of These

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

Dana took over her husband’s painting company when he died unexpectedly. Her husband’s second in command was a younger man by the name of Levi. He patiently guided Dana as she took over, helping her to learn how to manage the business.

Dana’s deaf daughter, Brittany, spent the summer after her sophomore year of college handling most office duties and creating a system to sort the company’s paperwork.

“My husband was many wonderful things but organized, he was not.” Dana says.

When Levi stopped by one afternoon with a stack of invoices, he met Brittany. The two instantly hit it off. After that, Levi regularly came into the office two or three times a week and they would chit-chat in between helping customers.

“One day, Levi came to me and asked me about Brittany’s hearing,” Dana shares. “I explained to him that we tried implants when Brittany was young, but they didn’t work for her. She can sign though and she reads lips well.”

After Levi and Brittany had been dating for a few months, there was a mix-up with the company phones. “I got Levi’s and he got mine. When I opened his, he had all of these videos on learning sign language. He said he wanted to be able to sign his proposal.”

God, when I meet people who are different from me, help me to be patient and understanding. I don’t want to miss a chance to show Your love because someone doesn’t look or sound like me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Love Covers All

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)

When Connor was two years old, his father went to prison. He’d been driving drunk and killed someone else. The prison sentence meant Connor rarely saw his father and felt like a stranger on the few occasions they were together.

“I spent years angry at my dad,” Connor says. “But when I was in college, I started reaching out to him. I don’t know what I was looking for but I knew I was tired of being angry.”

Over the course of letters and phone calls, Connor forgave his father. “I knew he was up for parole in a few months so I started putting together resources. I realized the world had changed so much in the last two decades. When he went in, cellphones were the size of bricks.” Connor laughs.

Connor helped his father adjust to life outside prison and convinced the manager of a local store to give his father a job as a cashier. A few years later, his father passed away from liver problems.

But Connor keeps his legacy alive by reaching out to other prisoners. “The older guys have a tough time readjusting to life outside. So I’m there to help them re-enter society. I teach them things like how to operate a smartphone, surf the web, use self-checkouts, all the basic activities that most people don’t think about.”

Connor smiles, “It’s my mission ground. I get to be a light to these prisoners, a port welcoming them home. I think that’s pretty awesome.”

God, help me be a light to those around me. I want to show those who feel worthless or marked Your abundant love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Kindness Bingo

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

Tabitha had three boys under the age of eight. She loved her sons but like many parents, she was exasperated by their continual bickering. “I tried everything to get them to stop but nothing seemed to work.”

Until the day she had an idea. Why not turn being kind into a game? “My boys love video games and I thought if I could turn being kind to each other and the people around them into a game format, I might get through.”

So, Tabitha looked on Pinterest and found plenty of ideas that she could add to the kindness bingo sheets she was creating. Some of the ideas she used included:

·         Play with someone new during recess

·         Share a toy with my brother

·         Give a nice compliment to someone

·         Do a chore for my brother

·         Draw or color a picture for someone

·         Hug a family member

·         Help my brother with his homework

“I encourage each of my kids to do four acts of kindness each day so they can claim bingo,” says Tabitha, “It’s not perfect but the boys are becoming more thoughtful and aware of how their actions affect other people.”

You don’t have to be a kid to play kindness bingo. You can do it yourself by regularly looking for opportunities to show kindness toward others.

God, help me to set an example of kindness in my own home. I want to encourage and support my loved ones. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Through Thick and Thin

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” -Ruth 1:16 (NIV)

Ruth was a Moabite woman that married into an Israelite family. After the death of her husband and the other male leaders in her home, Naomi, her mother-in-law came to Ruth. Naomi explained that the famine in her homeland had finally ended and she was going to return.

But Naomi advised both Ruth and her other daughter-in-law to return to their relatives. Though Naomi was a poor widow, she knew the other women were still young enough to remarry and live good lives. She wished them the best and urged them to start over.

Ruth could have left. She could have returned to everything that was familiar to her. But she felt a protective rush for the older woman she had grown to love. So, she spoke kindly and reassured her mother-in-law, promising to stay by her side.

When everyone else was willing to give up on Naomi, Ruth stuck with her. It’s easy to be faithful to someone in good times—when there’s more than enough to eat when there are job promotions and positive pregnancy tests.

But it’s much harder to be loyal when it feels like everything is falling apart—there’s a new medical bill to add to the stack, a job loss, or yet another painful rejection. But just like He saw Ruth, God sees your faithfulness. He sees you right where you are and your story isn’t over yet.

God, help me to be a faithful friend and a loyal companion. Even when things aren’t going right, You’re still holding onto me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
 

When Love Serves

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” – John 12:3 (NIV)

Mary was a prostitute who experienced the love of Jesus. When she became His follower, her life radically changed. As a result of her gratitude, she went to the home where He was feasting.

There, in front of everyone, Mary began pouring out expensive perfume on Jesus and washing his feet with her own tears.

While she was in the middle of worshipping Jesus, others at the table began complaining. They wanted to know why Mary hadn’t sold the perfume and used the money to feed the poor.

Sometimes, when another Christ-follower is ministering, we can be tempted to complain, too. We might say, “Yes, she helps out with the kids’ ministry but did you see how short her skirt was?” or “Who does he think is, telling people about God’s love with a past like that?”

It’s tempting to criticize others when they don’t love the way we think they should or they don’t work in the same ministry. But the story of Mary proves that Jesus sees beyond all of that to the heart underneath. For he said, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” (Matthew 26:10).

God, thank You for those who build the kingdom! Let me be supportive when I see others serving You in a way that’s different or unexpected. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Love Languages

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” – 1 John 4:7 (NIV)

John was an EMT. He married his high school sweetheart shortly after they graduated college together. For the first few years, John described his marriage as wonderful.

But as time went on, John struggled. He would come home from long shifts and his wife would complain that he never spent time with her. Once, she said she doubted that he loved her.

John didn’t know what to say so he just retreated.

“I love her,” he explained later to his mentor, an older man who had taken John under his wing. “She’s saying I don’t spend time with her but that’s because I’m busy working so hard to get us out of debt. Can’t she see that everything I do is for her and our family?”

John’s mentor said, “There’s a book called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. The idea behind the book is that there are five universal ways humans express their love for each other.”

He went on to add, “Often in relationships, one person says I love in their language while the other is saying I love you in a different one. Your wife’s love language is probably quality time while yours might be acts of service.”

John nodded as understanding dawned. “So, you’re saying I need to say I love you in her language instead of mine.”

It can be hard when a friend or family member speaks a different love language than you do. But learning to speak their language is an important part of making them feel loved and valued.

God, sometimes, loving others is hard. Help me to understand how to show others I really care about them in the language they need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

On the Way to Friendship

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

Linda always dreaded the walk down the hallway to her apartment when she was with her toddlers. The young kids were often loud and would prompt her neighbor Gladys to fuss about the noise.

Gladys was an older woman who seemed perpetually unhappy. Linda once mentioned to her husband that she’d never seen the woman smile. “She always looks angry with the world…and the boys.” She sighed, thinking of their sons.

As Linda was coming up the stairs with her groceries and her toddlers, a bag slipped from her hand. Her groceries spilled into the hallway and she was busy trying to gather them when Gladys opened her door to complain.

Since she was distracted, Linda’s three-year-old was able to dart into the older woman’s apartment. Linda quickly followed after him, apologizing the entire time. She scooped her squirming toddler up and as she did, she caught sight of a display.

It was a memorial to Gladys’ son, a soldier in the military who hadn’t returned from his last mission. “It made me see Gladys in a whole new light,” Linda said to her husband that night.

From then on, Linda made it a habit to reach out to Gladys. She’d stop by just to bring a plate of cookies or she’d offer to pick up the woman’s groceries. It took time but Linda noticed that Gladys is beginning to warm up to her.

“We’re not besties,” Linda laughs, “But I think we’re on the way to friendship.”

God, when I’m tempted to judge someone else, help me to remember they may be dealing with deep pain. Let me be an instrument You use to bring healing and grace to their heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.