Yesterday we heard a quick knock on our front door. When we opened it, there was a walkie-talkie on our door mat with a sticky note giving instructions for its use. Our beloved neighbor boy was seen running home. We then proceeded to chat for an hour. You know what? I got lots of chuckles, sweetness, and an excellent sermon from the heart of an eleven-year-old. He thought of a creative solution for the problem of isolation. Surely we can, too!
How grateful I am when our adult sons and daughters text us and let us know what’s going on in their lives. It takes only a few minutes, yet we feel enriched and connected. Who can you do that for? Phone calls are gold. Hearing the tone of voice adds a lot to communication. I just read yesterday that behavioral scientists feel 38% of communication comes from tone of voice. Husband is so good at calling his elderly parents. They live 3.5 hours drive from us, but a phone call bridges the miles. Several of our kids sacrifice their precious time to call us regularly and it makes us feel like a million bucks. So as you have opportunity, pick up your phone (or walky-talky?!) and call someone in your family or someone who needs a little encouragement. We never know the amount of good a cheerful, caring voice can make.
Our children are grown and have families of their own. So it’s just Husband and me at home. Visits with our kids and grandkids are outdoors and six feet apart now. But guess what? It’s still connection and it matters. Little ones like to be watched. Altho not all of them say ‘Look at me!’, they all hope we do. Just giving them our attention lets them know that they matter. A few words of recognition build them up and make deposits in their confidence accounts. We’re thankful that our son takes the time to call us via FaceTime with his young daughters when the weather is too bad to visit. Who can you lavish attention on today or this week?
”God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” I Peter 4:10-11
How have you been using your time lately? I know each of us has different circumstances. Some readers are busier than normal trying to juggle many responsibilities. Others have more time on their hands because they can’t go to places and do the things they normally do. Most of us can’t attend church services, where we used to teach Sunday school, play an instrument or sing in worship, greet people and make them feel welcome, bring snacks, or pray in person for others. So how do we help others? How do we use our gifts?
We know God’s commands haven’t been suspended because of the pandemic. We are still commanded to love God and each other- the two most important commands. I’m assuming most of us are getting our church services online, and reading our Bibles. We’re getting spiritual input. We’re praying. But how are we doing with the doing part? The loving others part?
That always starts with our families. It’s so easy to take each other for granted when you’re together a lot. What can you do today to love on your family just a little extra? You will have to go out of your way, yes. You will have to give up some time. For many of you who have young children or are caregiving, you will give a lot of time. All of us will have to make an effort. We will hear a voice telling us that whatever we do doesn’t really matter because we can’t do anything flashy, out of the ordinary, or brilliant. But when we stop to think of it, do we long for others to be flashy or brilliant, or do we just want them to let us know they care? We all just want connection, a little appreciation, and to be noticed and heard. And that’s exactly what we can do for others in many small ways.
I was listening to training in my career field yesterday and the speaker remarked that people are lonely in our age. This was recorded before the quarantine. He said people are lonely in their own homes because they are separated by the distractions of screens. Families don’t truly see and hear each other. His mission is to help families reconnect to one another by laying aside the distractions and remembering and verbalizing what they admire about each other. What does each contribute to the family and the world by their unique gifts? How do their family members make others feel? In the case of spouses, reliving how they met and their feelings at that time and recalling why they chose each other to spend the rest of their lives with. Taking time to verbalize our appreciation goes a long way in rekindling love in our families. The speaker mentioned that encouraging his clients to do this has actually changed his own life and how he treats his own family. Who are you going to stop and thank today? Who needs to hear your affirmation and appreciation? Did you know that love is contagious? When we show love to someone, they are likely to show love to someone else. It’s a ripple that starts small but is far-reaching.
Heb. 10:24 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded and stimulated to acts of love. Sometimes I’m motivated by just being reminded of how important loving acts are. I get so focused on my own projects that I need reminders about what’s most important. Often I’m motivated by watching someone else do loving things.
I like to teach. It’s been on my heart to help parents who have a lot on their plates trying to keep their kids entertained and educated at home. Then I stumbled across someone else’s idea of how to help parents and kids during the stay at home orders. Wow! A light bulb went on! I wanted to do something similar. But this was way out of my comfort zone and outside of my skill set. I pondered, procrastinated, and thought of excuses. But I knew I was supposed to do it. I’ve been taking baby steps toward making it happen. I had to learn two new platforms, write curriculum, and overcome my dislike of seeing myself on video. This week I finally ‘went live’ on the internet with a program to teach and entertain kids. It is far from perfect or polished. But I’m hoping each installment will help even one family. What has someone else done that has resonated with you and given you a desire to do something similar? What are your excuses? How can you make it happen in spite of your barriers? What half-truths is that negative voice in your head telling you? What do you feel God is asking you to do? Will you trust him to get you through the job he has given you?
P.S. If you know a child between the ages of 8 and 15 who is interested in photography, check out my lessons disguised as games here.