How much do you care
12 Baskets Full
A Tabitha Basket April 2021
In 1885, a nine-year-old boy named Joseph Meister, was attacked by a rabid dog. At this time, Louis Pasteur, the famed researcher and pioneer of immunology, was experimenting with a vaccine that after years of hard work, seemed to work on rabid dogs. While he had never used it on an infected human, the boy’s mother begged him to experiment on her son. Pasteur, not without fear and trepidation, injected Joseph for ten days – and the boy lived.
Decades later, Pasteur was asked what epitaph he would like engraved on his tombstone. Of all the things this great man with his many accomplishments could have picked, he chose three simple words: Joseph Meister lived.
It is said that ‘people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’[1] I believe Louis Pasteur cared deeply. I also believe that we all have some caring to do in this world.
Let’s get Practical
Jesus came to save and restore the whole man – spirit, soul and body, promising us life in abundance. This week will add items that will reflect this care and abundance He teaches us.
Friendship: ‘I call you friends’
Addressing loneliness and isolation should be one of our first priorities, especially among singles (men and women) and the elderly. Forgotten and neglected – sometimes even by their own family members, these individuals often faithfully served others for many years. Now abandoned by children and left behind by friends, depression and feelings of hopelessness start to settle in their spirits. Willing to spend time with them, listening to their current heartache and pain or their past joys and successes, will lift their spirits and revive their souls – for self-pity can become a bottomless pit.
But we can also take it to the next level, like a lady I know about who regularly visits the elderly in their homes. She loves on them by cutting their toenails, and caring for their feet in general. In the process she has become a beloved friend and confidant of many.
A Job & Dignity: ‘the hand of the diligent will rule’[2]
The age-old Chinese proverb comes to mind. Instead of giving people a fish, let us give them the skill to fish – for dependency can become a real challenge. Willing to invest in people, giving them opportunity to develop their talents and learn a new competence, is a wonderful way to care for others.
While some have creative skills that needs to be re-discovered, others simply have never been exposed. What a privilege to invite them into a world of endless opportunities, sisterhood, and recreation. One lady who is currently overseeing twenty other women in a thriving bead making project, was a reluctant beginner. “I can only wash windows,” she originally protested when invited to join in one morning of fun. Yet, it was love at first sight!
When it comes to creativity, the options are endless. Needlework, embroidery, knitting and crocheting, mosaic tile work, decoupage, card making, basket making, weaving of carpets, dressmaking and gardening are but the tip of the iceberg. Now you know what to do with your knitting needles, bags of old wool, scrapbooking paraphernalia and other craft tools stacked away in your spare room cupboard.
Miscellaneous Blessings: Walking the second mile
Other practical ways in which we can creatively draw near those destitute and demoralized, are:
- Sponsoring a business training and helping young and older entrepreneurs with a micro loan to launch their own small venture.
- Giving people a prepaid cell phone to alleviate pressure.
- Offering to repair someone’s car or pay for their annual service.
- Taking over their car payments for a month, six months or a year.
- Buying them a goat – if they are rural farmers.
- Sponsoring their bus ticket to work and back home for a year.
- Paying their child’s day care or school fees for a month or a couple of months.
- Offering to buy school supplies for their children.
- Buying them a microwave or slow cooker to make life at home a little easier.
- Feeding their animals for a time, making sure they are dewormed and sterilized.
As you can see, caring can take on many forms and the above is by no means an exhaustive list. Allow God to show you other practical ways to be there for someone going through a hard time. I believe a friend in need is a friend ‘in deed’!
[1] Theodore Roosevelt quotation
[2] Proverbs 12:24
