Motivate

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24

Yesterday I met a beautiful, faithful woman named Kathy who loves the Lord. We were both in a waiting room, waiting for our loved ones to be finished with their tests. We fell easily into conversation, beginning with the comfort level of various masks, and proceeding gradually to deeper things–life, health, caring–and soon discovered our mutual love for the Lord.

Kathy shared a simple act she’s been doing for many years: every week she puts aside one dollar. She prays about the money as she saves it, little by little until December comes. Then she prays again, offering the money she’s saved as a gift for God to use. About two weeks before Christmas, God presents her with an opportunity, a need that she can meet with her small savings, and so she gives it. She gives it to a newly widowed neighbor who can’t afford gifts for her child. She gives it to the elementary school principal who keeps a list of the neediest families in the community. She gives it to a person in the grocery line who doesn’t have quite enough cash for the food on the conveyor.

This is a beautiful, simple, faith-filled act, done out of Kathy’s deep love for the Lord. But as we talked, she went on to share a more remarkable thing: everywhere she goes, she finds someone to share this idea with. A young nurse in the emergency room, a woman at the grocery store, a neighbor walking by on the street, and the latest, me, another person waiting for a loved one. She shares her small idea with everyone she meets, eager and excited to see how God works through it.

She inspired me, and so I’m passing on her idea to inspire you. Pray and see if God wants you to try this small act of faith. Put aside a dollar or more or less, whatever you can, and pray about what God could use the money for. Week by week, watch for God to faithfully provide the dollar to save. Then when December comes, offer your small gift to God for God to use. Rejoice in gift-giving. Praise God in the opportunity to share God’s love with someone in need.

And, perhaps most importantly, tell someone else what you’re doing. Encourage them to try it too.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24