“Small Things with Great Love”

 

Hanging on the wall in our dining room is a plaque with an inspirational saying by Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” The plaque, a gift from my youngest sister, Jill, has impacted my life over the years.

            Mother Teresa’s words came to mind when a friend of ours, Kris Shields, sent us this story after relocating from Michigan to Florida.

“My dermatologist found a cancer sunspot on my head that had to be removed surgically, which involved shaving a big chunk of my hair on the top of my head!  I cried when I saw how much was shaved! 

 I told some of my new friends in church, and they offered to wear hats with me in church on Sundays until my hair grew out some!  We sure confused the pastor, until he was told why so many people were wearing hats like way back when all women wore hats in church. 

 It actually turned a horrible thing into a fun thing, seeing the different hats each week on my friends who helped me out by wearing hats for about 8 weeks!  

            You sure do meet good people in church!”

A new church, caring people and a newcomer feeling accepted and affirmed! Praise the Lord!

            Al and I have also been the recipients of an outpouring of kindness from people, most recently after our daughter Shanda passed away last November. We were overwhelmed by the many ways people reached out to us in love. Just knowing that others were thinking of us and praying for us comforted and sustained us.  

            There have been opportunities for us to “give back” as well. One day when Al and I were doing our weekly shopping, a friendly employee named Leonard needed a hand.

 Leonard usually works in the meat department behind the counter, but sometimes can be found doing other jobs. On that particular day, he was trying to fix a display of pepperoni. One of the metal racks in the stand was bent, causing the bags of pepperoni to slide off onto the floor.

Leonard motioned to Al.

 “Do you have your tool kit on you?” he asked.

 That was a surprising question! Was he kidding? He showed Al the problem and the two of them hunched over the display trying to straighten out the bent rack—to no avail. It fell off the stand with a clatter, sending the bags of pepperoni flying.

Finally, Al managed to get it to stay in the desired spot after more adjusting.

 “All it took was a little patience,” said Leonard. “Appreciate it!”

“Bye, Leonard,” we said in unison as we headed to another part of the store.

“That was the first time he’s ever talked to me,” said Al. We knew his name but little else about him.  Helping out! Giving back! Feels good!

One evening when Jesus was having dinner at the home of a man in Bethany, just outside the city of Jerusalem, a woman came into the room carrying an alabaster jar filled with costly perfume. Putting together the account in Matthew 26 with the story told in the other gospels, it appears that the woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, all three of whom were good friends of Jesus.

Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, was one of the guests at the dinner that evening, and Martha was helping serve. In an act of gratitude and love for Jesus, Mary approached him as he was reclining at the table and broke the fragile jar, filling the room with the fragrance of the perfume.

She then proceeded to pour it on his head and feet. This caused quite a stir among the disciples, who sternly rebuked her for wasting it, instead of selling the jar and using the money to help the poor.

Wasting the perfume?             Jesus didn’t see it that way at all. He understood the love that had motivated her and wondered at their being so upset. To him, it was a beautiful thing, an act that would not be forgotten.  

 Small things when done from a heart of love become great things in the eyes of the recipients! And in the eyes of the Lord!

“… Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Matthew 26:10-11 NIV