It is intriguing how the Lord will use one person or event to change the course of our lives. A year and a half ago, I heard Joni Erickson Tada speak at church. After listening to her, my daughter and I volunteered as camp counselors at the Joni and Friends Family Retreat. I was so moved that I now volunteer in our church's ministry that serves people and families who are touched by disability. But I also learned about a ministry called Unless U, which serves adults with developmental disabilities and their families through continuing education and by promoting life skills, social skills, and independence. The Lord led me to begin volunteering at Unless U in June and I love it. I help students with various activities such as reading, writing, math, and social skills. Each week, I am blessed by the amazing students at Unless U. Through them, I have learned so much about God because I see His image reflected in these students. As I work with them, I continue to see His compassion, kindness, and mercy in the way they treat one another and others. Their beautiful, simple faith has taught me much about my own lack of faith. All in all, I have the privilege to see a glimpse of God's glory displayed in the hearts, attitudes, and interactions of my friends at Unless U. It is beautiful to see.
How Everyday People Live Out Their Christian Faith
Illustrating how men and women display their love for Jesus in their day-to-day lives.
Little things that may have an eternal impact. Might these stories motivate you to use your talents?
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Together, we volunteer with a boy's 8th grade class at an inner city school. We've been going there every other week for three years. We know the value of a male in a young man's life. And so many of these young men don't have fathers that are very active. If you don't have an interested dad, then there will always be something missing. It's important for them to have role models that might be different than what they see in their everyday world. We invest in these kids. We care about each one individually and take time to hear whatever they want to talk about. So many kids today don't have people they can trust. We as a society are not great at keeping our commitments. So we committed to stay with these boys until they graduate high school. If we honor that commitment, maybe it will show them something different that can make an impact for the rest of their lives. Jesus taught us that we are supposed to be connected to people. We are to love and to help people. Be givers, not just takers. So we give where we can. We all need to extend ourselves. The time we spend with these boys is very small in the grand scheme. It's not a hardship on us. In fact, it's one huge blessing in our lives.
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I really hate to fly. Over the years, I had developed such an anxiety, followed by panic attacks. Especially now. Especially alone. Why would I go on a mission trip? Not with all the political unrest in our world. But God has given me a gift. I am a Nurse Practitioner. I can deliver babies. I can administer prescription medications. I can perform medical exams. Why not use these gifts to help others, who otherwise, may not receive it? Proverbs 3:27 says "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it." It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that I wanted to show Jesus in a tangible way to the people of Haiti. As I performed medical exams on people who had never seen a doctor, I was being the hands and feet of Jesus. Delivering babies, loving on new moms, educating soon-to-be moms. Loving others right where they are. Pointing others to Christ is what life is all about. I was able to share Jesus with them not only in a physical way, but as I shared the gospel story, in a spiritual way as well. You know, flying is not so bad after all.
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The Bible says love your neighbor as yourself, but what does it actually mean? How do we actually love our neighbors as ourselves? I began praying and asking the Lord to show what it looked like for me. He showed me several ways that we could love our neighbors. My children and I made goody bags filled with candy, scripture cards, candles, hand soaps, and homemade goods to pass out for Valentines Day, Easter (which also would include a Bible), Summer, Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our children looked so forward to making these bags and passing them out in the evenings. They wrote the scripture cards themselves, and helped me and my husband put the bags together. We wanted our neighbors to know about Jesus and to see us love them in His name. Everything pointed back to Christ. We "gave" to our neighbors because of what God "gave" us---Jesus. I took meals to our neighbors when they were sick, or had surgery. My neighbor's dog died and she was crushed. The kids and I made her cards where we wrote scripture on it, and told her we were praying for her. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:31 What would the world look like if we actually did love our neighbor as ourselves?
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Foreign mission fields are closer than you think. Throughout our lives, we have gone on short-term mission trips around the world. Our trips to extremely poor places enabled us to understand hunger and the effect it has on children. Five years ago, after a trip to the smallest villages in Kenya, we realized that the percentage of hungry people in Central Alabama was the same as in Africa. After much prayer, we began to share a few bags of food from our pickup truck to some of the most food-deprived children in our county. We discovered that government programs are unable to meet the hunger needs of approximately 21,000 children in our five surrounding counties. We poured ourselves into this, and began to seek help. We are now helping to feed more 2,000 children each week in these five counties as Alabama Childhood Food Solutions. In cooperation with 38 churches, hundreds of individuals, and several corporations, ACFS also serves 580 families each month by appointment in Central Alabama. We believe God placed in our hearts the desire to feed the hungry so that a generation of children can be changed into highly productive citizens as they grow.
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Dance has always been my biggest passion. I started dancing at age two, grew up attending dance intensives and conferences, and was on dance team at a Division 1 school. After college, I started praying for opportunities to use my passion for dance to help others, and almost immediately, people came into my life that led me to opportunities to teach at various non-profits. In my free time, I now teach special needs dance classes. Seeing the joy on the children's faces has been a blessing, and I truly enjoy the time I get to spend with my students. I am so thankful for this opportunity to show God's love through dance. I think if you have an idea inside of you to do something that brings glory to God while using your special skill set, you should do whatever it takes to make it happen. Once you recognize that fire inside of you and pray for guidance, The Lord opens up so many doors and opportunities that is almost impossible to ignore.