By Jean Roberson
Years ago my mother told me about one of her first memories of church.
She came from an alcoholic home. At times her mother was active in church but her father wasn’t. She remembered attending church with her four brothers and sisters, often in clothes that were old. Her family did not have much money.
She remembered attending her Sunday School class each Sunday and meeting her teacher.
She confessed that she did not remember the woman’s face, nor did she remember her name.
What she did remember, however, was that each Sunday this woman would lead her to the rocking chair in the corner.
There she would climb up in the woman’s lap and they would rock together.
With each rock, the woman whispered in her ear, “God loves you. God loves you.”
My mother said that not only was this one of her first memories of church but it was also one of her first memories of learning about God.
You see, in those moments that woman was not simply using the words of God’s love. She was also demonstrating that love by being present each Sunday and by holding a little girl on her lap — teaching and demonstrating the basic truth that God is love.
I have wondered about that woman for years. Surely she didn’t know all the people she was impacting.
In those moments when she would hold the little girl, she was laying a foundation that would be integral to my mother’s faith, a faith that would eventually be passed down to me and to my children.
So what do we do with this testimony? Do we look at it, affirm the woman and smile at the way God moves through the small acts of kindness? Absolutely.
We also need to remind ourselves that none of this would have happened if the woman had not made herself available to be used.
It is so easy to pass up opportunities to make ourselves available to God and to others.
Young mothers are overwhelmed by the constant demands of young children.
Middle-aged women are busy with work and caring for aging parents. Some older women might struggle with health issues and thus think their season of service has passed.
Life is filled with situations and circumstances. Life is filled with obligations and responsibilities. Those never leave us, and if we wait for a season in life when we think we will have more time and fewer demands we will never be available to say the kind word, to make the dinner, to serve on the committee or to hold the little girl in our lap.
A Takeaway Value …
Our time to be of service to God is now.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Jean Roberson, MSW, LCSW, is a ministry consultant for national Woman’s Missionary Union. She serves as team leader for the adult team and director of Christian Women’s Job Corps/Christian Men’s Job Corps and International Initiatives.
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