Meeting A Need

Nine days ago, I received a challenge. Not a popular video posting social media challenge - but a God-driven challenge. I was challenged to meet a need. To meet a need of someone in my community just as Christ Jesus did day in and day out in his community.

As a part of our church's latest series, Love Where You Live, we're reading through and digging in to the book of Acts over five weeks. I envision Paul like a determined athlete training every minute of every day in his craft, willing to put his life on the line - literally - to win the championship - to carry out his Christ-directed mission. Verse after verse, chapter after chapter, Paul first and foremost acts (pun intended) like Jesus so that when he talks about Him, the people in his community are more apt to listen and follow. That was the theme of our message nine days ago. If people don't see us serving like Jesus, they won't listen to us when we talk about Him.

So the challenge was to meet a need, serve like Christ did, at least once last week and meet a need of someone in your community. Didn't matter how - through time, a mailed letter, a monitary gift - just meet a need.

The Holy Spirit was at work in me that day and I went home to cook a meal for a family neighbor. He had been caring for his dying wife for several months. She was a witty, energetic, strong and compassionate woman whose cancer had returned in an aggressive fashion. I would often see her walking her dogs in the hilly neighborhood as I went to and from my parent's home. I would always stop and catch up. They opened their home and swimming pool up to us last summer so that our kids could enjoy the pool since they were empty nesters and it never got good use. We would tag team to care for my parent's dogs when they went out of town. These are GOOD people. Believers in God and deep rooted in their faith. This illness struck so fast that I had never even seen these neighbors since the wife's health began to deteroriate. Her husband cared for her day in and day in their home. He wold often go to a church service on a Friday evening and my mom would stay with his wife, keeping her company and talking about any and everything. Thankfully, the illness attacked her body and not her mind.

Nine days ago I piled my kids in my car and took that home-cooked meal over to their home. When the husband opened the door, his eyes instantly began to fill with tears. I know he was happy to see us but I was more happy to see him. I really just wanted him to know we had been thinking and praying for his family for many months now even though we hadn't seen them physically. We asked to see her, and we were able to briefly as she was resting and weary. When I walked in their room I saw her. She didn't look like she had the last time I'd seen her. She was bald, frail, and weak. But she was more beautiful than ever. Her eyes lit up when she saw us. I said "Hello Gorgeous!" and leaned over, holding her hand, to give her a kiss. We chatted very briefly, Jeremiah gave her a high-five, and we were on our way home. And so was she.

Nine days later, today, she passed away. Everyone close to her knew her death was approaching the night prior. But no matter how much you prepare, I wonder if anyone is ever really able to prepare.

If it wasn't for Pastor Drew's Meet a Need challenge, if it wasn't for the Holy Spirit being at work inside of me, I wouldn't have seen her before she left home. I will forever be grateful for that challenge. And for the first time, right this moment, I'm realizing that the person whose need was met was probably more mine, than theirs. Funny how that works ....

Click here if you'd like to hear the sermon given 9 days ago to my church community.