Just one touch
Last Saturday, I had the wonderful privilege of joining many people from our church in a special event called Serve Day where teams were sent out from our church to work on various projects in our community for the marginalized, forgotten and overlooked. I was very excited to join my husband, son and several other families in a visit to a local nursing home where we sang worship songs, gave out little handmade gifts and sat for a long time talking with the senior residents. The community room at the nursing home was filled with excitement and smiles became contagious as each resident experienced words of kindness, care, and hugs that many of them had probably not felt for a long time.
One woman in particular caught my attention. Her name was Tildie and she was from Germany. Hunched over with pain in her wheelchair, Tildie told me in broken English about her childhood and how she grew up on a small farm in Germany that was almost completely destroyed during World War II. The tears moistened her eyes as she recounted the events and I could tell that the pain was still just as fresh in her heart as the day it had occurred half a century ago. She held my hand and talked with me about her family and lastly she said that even in her loneliness she knew God had not forgotten her. Her words rang in my ears. How could a woman sitting in a nursing home all alone, ridden with pain and physical ailments, having seen the horrors of war, be so full of hope and kindness?
I left that senior residents home that day a little more grateful and wiser than when I had entered. I realized that regardless of what I may be facing today, there is always someone who needs a greater amount of encouragement and hope than I do. My situation may not be trivial and my challenges are real, but the flooding feelings of fear that overwhelm my heart dissipate when I reach out and touch another soul that needs to know they're not alone and can face another day.
I also was reminded by Tildie that my life can never be all about Jesus if it’s all about myself. I must find my greatest purpose in serving others and in turn God will bring me joy in the midst of whatever I face. He will turn my tears of sorrow into tears of joy as I embrace another person and another situation that needs my encouragement.
Who can you touch today? Is there someone in your life or in your community who is alone, overlooked and marginalized? I encourage you to take a moment or a few hours to remind them of their value and that they are not alone. That's what Jesus did. We don't need a large platform, a television show or a book deal to make an impact. We just need to be available.
