As busy mothers, we may have declined some invitations for coffee or lunch of a fellow mom, or an old friend. While we can never blame ourselves for taking a rain check on these given our responsibilities, we must try our best to be extra sensitive towards the hidden cries for help an invitation for one-on-one talk time may imply.
Present-day followers of Jesus like us are called to a life of service towards others. This means that even if we do not have enough financial resources, we can still serve and show love by being there for other people and listening to what they have to say.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
They say that God shows His love for us through other people. We feel loved and cared for, when others show their concern about us, rejoice with us, and when they lend us a shoulder to cry on.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
In the same breath, one of the ways we can show our love for God, is when we love and serve others. It is in fact our calling to live our faith by doing good works as a result of our immense desire to please the Lord.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:34-40
And so when we are being asked out by a friend for coffee, or invited for lunch to just chill out of the blue, then let us be extra sensitive to the underlying connotation of that invitation. Let us ask ourselves if our friend is acting out of the ordinary, or if there is something different about her lately that she will need to unburden herself to us.
Hopefully once we realize that she probably needs someone to lean on, we can reach out, sacrifice a bit of our time, and give her the listening ear that she needs. Jesus once said that:
“Jesus has said, “‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friend’” John 15:13
Today, life equates to time, and when we give our time to others to glorify Christ, we in part give up a part of our lives for them in honor of the King of Kings.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 and Matthew 25:31-46 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you have someone in your life who may need your time and presence? How can you show that person God’s love?
Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for sending people to show me your love, especially in times when I need it the most. I am sorry for the times I declined to help out others, especially when all they needed was a listening ear. Give me the grace to be there for others, and use me my Lord to show them Your love. Amen.
