Friday, January 20, 2012

Show God’s Love With Your Actions

For the same God who worked through Peter for the benefit of the Jews worked through me for the benefit of the Gentiles. -- Galatians 2:8

Change is one of the most difficult things we ever face. Most of us know that. People we love get older. We get older. Children grow up. Jobs and financial circumstances change, growing and decreasing seemingly at will.

Some changes we accept as just being part of life. Other changes seem to ignite a fury of protests. I’ve been amazed -- sometimes laughingly so -- at the comments that have come since the formation of a new committee to minister to shut-ins, the sick and the lonely.

Who knew a committee already existed to handle this? I’d never heard of it nor had anyone else involved in this project. A committee that isn’t known, isn’t active and doesn’t really do anything isn’t worth the paper that proclaims its existence. If it exists. I’m still not convinced that it does.

The truth is that it should have existed. People should never have fallen through the cracks, seemingly forgotten when they can no longer get to church and participate in activities. Maybe that “should have” has colored the minds of some folks so that they can’t believe nothing was being done to minister to shut-ins.

Years ago, long before I became a part of this church, I witnessed this firsthand. A church member slowly lost her mind to Alzheimer’s. It was a sad progression. Her church carried Wednesday night dinner to her home. That was it. The only folks who came to visit were Mormons. I guess it was just too sad for the people who had known her most of her life.

Does your church have a special ministry for shut-ins? Or is it just one of those things that somebody else handles? Or does it depend on who you are and who you know? Sadly, that’s sometimes the case. But doesn’t everyone deserve to know that their church -- the people of Christ -- actually cares about them?

This doesn’t have to be a church-wide project. It can be a neighborhood project. Many have elderly or sick folks in their midst. They just aren’t willing to sacrifice their time to visit and do odd chores. It’s easy to point to somebody else. It’s easy to blame the family. Or the church. It’s easy to proclaim them to be somebody else’s responsibility.

A good friend has found himself in the midst of five widows. At first he was amazed. Then he realized that God had put him where he is so that he could show these widows that God cares. My friend does odd chores -- rolling the garbage can to the road or trimming hedges. He’s their advocate with repairmen. He’s there for what they need. And he is the better for it.

Stop expecting others to do what God has called you to do. Step up. Take part. Reach out. Minister to those who are forgotten and alone. Show them that God still cares.