How Important it is to Care

There are many days when you feel like you are of no importance. You have not achieved much in life. There is nothing really of significance that you can refer to as having occurred. Of what worth is the life you have lived so far been?

Let me introduce to you a man called Jim. The story is about him, but this story is more significantly about the other people in his life. Jim had been a football coach. He loved the game and even upon retirement kept up with the latest news, players, and achievements of his old team.

Every morning Jim would go down to the local coffee shop and buy a blueberry muffin and a coffee and spend the morning talking with the staff. He would share with them antidotes of years gone by. Stories about his coaching experiences, about the players, about the game, even about the fans who support the team. The employees of the coffee shop came to enjoy these interactions with Jim and often wrote on his paper coffee cup or his muffin paper bag words of encouragement. Jim was part of the “furniture.”

One morning Jim did not come in for his coffee and muffin. When the owner realised this, he got one of the staff members to take a fresh coffee and muffin that they had prepared for him earlier to his house. As the employee approached Jim’s unit, he noticed a young lady just closing Jim’s front door. Approaching her the staff member asked after Jim. “He died last night was the reply.”

Feeling devastated the employee went back to share this sad news with all the staff.

The next day, this same young lady, Jim’s daughter, came into the coffee shop. She approached the counter and asked for the Manager. “We are having a prayer service tomorrow for Jim and we would like for you all to come if you could. Jim would have wanted this.” The owner arranged for some other staff to come and “man the shop” while all the normal staff went to the prayer service. It was held in a small chapel and as the employees seated themselves ready for the service to begin, the daughter got up to speak.

She thanked everyone for coming and wanted to especially thank the staff of the coffee shop. “All of you have poured love out onto my Dad.  You made his last few years special and you were very important to him. This is the proof of what I am saying.” She uncovered a table-full of old coffee cups and paper bag wrappers.  “What you wrote on these was of such importance to my dad that he has kept every one. These thoughts, words of love and encouragement is what sustained him as he lived his life alone in these last few years. I thank you. My Dad thanks you.”

The small words, love written on these items were of such worth to Jim. He had kept them in a drawer.

It made me realise more how important it is to care for others, love others, show others how important they are. If we all did it to each other, we would all be cared for. We would all feel loved. We would all feel that our life was of some importance.

Jesus tells us to do this.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

John 13:34-35 NRSV

We should do this not only because it reveals that we are His disciples but that it actually makes our life worthwhile, when we have the heart of a giver, as described in 2 Corinthians.

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

2 Corinthians 9:6 NRSV

If we sow generously, we will reap generously. Sow in time, your talents, acts of service, a kind word…… you will reap bountifully back to you.

That is of significant importance. My life can be made worthwhile if I “give it away.”

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Has there been a special place or group of people that you have shared with regularly? How have the people made you feel?

How do you think you make other people feel with your words or actions?

Is there something you could do to make someone else’s day better?

Do you feel that you are being Christ to others in the way that you care for them?