March 25, 2013 - Our World Needs a Breath of Fresh Air

When my granddaughter Anna was three years old, my husband and I happily went to visit our daughter’s family who lived in another state.  One afternoon while I was playing with Anna she went over to her toy box and returned with a smile on her face.  “Here Mamaw, this is for you,” she said as she handed me a little doll.  I thanked her and enjoyed our play times together for the duration of our visit. When it was time to return home I said, “Anna, here is your doll” as I tried to return it to her.  “No”, she insisted, “It is for you.”  How could I refuse this precious gift of love?  She was so genuine and sincere in her generosity that I could not refuse.  Over a decade later I still have the little doll, a treasured gift, given to me from her pure and unselfish heart.

Anna’s gift to me came in two steps:  1. She loved me.  2. She saw I had a need (I had no doll). When we get even a glimpse of the depth of God’s love through His Son Jesus, it seems that his gift of salvation is so great that it is hard to understand or believe that it can be ours. But what happens when we do accept this gift? Our life begins anew! When we do accept Jesus into our hearts, the gift of Salvation freely expressed to us is not to be kept safely tucked away, as I have done with Anna’s doll, but instead is to be the reason to enter into serving God and serving others.  Because He loved me so much, I am able to love others.  As little Anna showed me, Christian service starts by using the two step plan: 1. Love.  2. See a need. 

1.       Love: God loves me and sacrificially sent his own beloved Son, Jesus, to the cross in payment for my sins.  There could be no greater expression of love!   Acceptance of His love enables us to love others.  Philippians 2: 1-4 (The Message Bible Translation) says: “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care – then do me a favor:  Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.  Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top.  Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage.  Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

2.       See a Need:  Anna didn’t take into consideration that she may later miss her doll.  She simply saw my need and was able to fulfill that need by giving me her little doll.  Her heart of love moved her to action as she placed the doll into my hands.  No wonder the Bible tells us that Jesus loves the little children. Philippians 2: 14-15 (The Message Bible Translation) says: “Do everything readily and cheerfully – no bickering, no second-guessing allowed!  Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God.  Carry the light-giving Message into the night.”

Oh, how our world needs a breath of fresh air! People all around us are in constant need of the love of God which can only be expressed when Christians are moved by the Holy Spirit to see a need and then fulfill that need through love.  What needs do you see around you?  Does someone need a hug, food, shelter, money, a smile, a word of encouragement, a word of wisdom, help, transportation, acceptance, support, appreciation, compassion, empathy, the salvation message…or do you know someone who needs a doll?  May God move our hearts to action in serving others!         

                                                                                                                                                   

…..Lois Gilbert