(This is the first blog post from Renee)
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me… (excerpt from Matthew 25:31-46)
When issued this challenge last Sunday, an image of a stack of clothes came to my mind. These clothes have been sitting in a heap for a year now, gently used, and generally unused for this past year since the sizes on those tags don’t match my physical needs. Almost immediately another image flashed in my mind. A woman’s face. It wasn’t just any woman, but a woman on my street who has fallen on hard times and is unable to provide for herself those simple things we take for granted. I resolved in my heart to go home that afternoon, pack up a bag of those items (since I could readily see the sizes on the tags would work for her), and quietly hang them on her doorknob the next morning on my way to work. It was a good plan...no - a great plan, except for one minor hitch: my selfishness.
Sunday came and went. Monday and Tuesday too, and soon, it was Saturday. I had spent my week focusing on my own wants, needs, and superfluous whims that I pushed aside the one thing God asked me to do: provide clothes to the shivering. That Saturday, as I came and went from our house, running my errands – my eyes would shift ever so slightly as I drove past the woman’s house. Under my shame and embarrassment, I would take a peek at the house, hoping for a sign that God provided for the woman's needs and that He really didn’t need me this week after all. When I glanced at her front window, I found the answer to my pondering question. There, hanging on the back of a chair was a dark t-shirt with bright lettering: NEEDED YOU.
In that moment, my heart stopped.
And “then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me — you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:45)
I went home, packed a large tote overflowing with items, and thanked God for his incredible mercy. After all, I wasn’t doing this for me - or even for the woman – I was doing it for God.
2 comments:
That was a tremendous lesson for all of us, Renee. I don't know why it is so hard to take that step when it feels so good after we do. Great job on the blog. - Dad Sutter
SO good. Made me tear up a little bit. I hate those times when I know that I should be doing something and then somehow God says...do it, even if it is a little later than first initially planned. :)
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