Two Texts In A Snowstorm

You hear it all the time.
The negativity can take its toll after a while.
What is the world coming to?
Things are getting really bad!

It would be hard to disagree after watching just a few minutes of news.
Is it news or is it commentary?
That is the question.
A steady dose of that every evening would easily change anyone’s perspective.

Every once in a while, something happens that helps you refocus.
Every once in a while, something very small is done that may seem insignificant.
However, it is not insignificant.
In fact, that something small is probably more significant than most things passing as news.

The text came in the afternoon.
It had started to snow.
I was sitting in my favorite chair having my cup of tea.
I read the message.

A friend informed me that she and her husband had made a delivery.
This friend knits beautiful hats, scarves, gloves, and socks.
I discovered her talent when she had stopped by my house the week before.
Our local crisis pregnancy center came up in conversation.

I wonder if they could use any of the things I knit? She asked.
I am sure they would love to have them, I told her.
Our conversation went on to other things but a seed was planted.
I saw that the text was from my friend.

In the snowstorm, she and her husband delivered the hats, gloves, scarves, and socks.
The women at the crisis pregnancy center were delighted to receive them.
My friend left her name and phone number because she would like to be more involved there.
Something wonderful happened in a snowstorm; the seed grew.

Very soon after receiving that text, another text came through.
This text was from a young girl at my church.
She wondered if our crisis pregnancy center would be able to use maternity clothes.
I answered that they would appreciate that donation.

Another young woman from church just had her fourth child.
She is donating her maternity clothes.
I can just imagine the young mothers who would love to have some new clothes.
At a time when their bodies are changing, and nothing fits, they will be so grateful.

I told her that the crisis pregnancy center has a store.
The young moms can shop there with points they have earned.
The points are earned from going to parenting classes and other classes the center offers.
The young moms shop for diapers, formula, baby clothes, and baby items.

Thanks to this generous donation, the young moms can shop for maternity clothes as well.
Two texts in a snowstorm.
Two texts that thought of others and not themselves.
Two texts that showed what is right with the world.

We need to tell more of those stories.
We need to drown out the negative stories with stories of hope and generosity.
We need to tell stories of kindness and compassion.
We need to tell stories of the Church being the Church.

We tend to think of the church as that building you go to every Sunday.
The Church, with a capital C, is the people of God.
The people of God are doing amazing things for others.
The people of God are doing amazing things for Him.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
(Matthew 25:31-46)

Two texts in a snowstorm.
Two texts that served others.
Two texts that ultimately served Him.
Two texts that I so desperately needed to read on that snowy afternoon.

Things are really good out there, we just have to find them.
We can focus on all that is wrong with the world or we can spotlight all that is right.
I think the latter is far more important.
The latter tells the story of loving compassion towards others.

We need more of those kind of stories.
The smaller the story, the better.
Tell the quiet, unassuming stories.
God the Father sees it all, done in love, in His Son’s name.

Go out and find the stories.
Tell those stories to others.
Be part of a story yourself.
Things will begin to turn around.

 

2 responses to “Two Texts In A Snowstorm”

1. One of the best things I love about your blog is your sense of positivity. Maybe because you look for good things and people, they seem to find you. And you pass them on to us–thank you so much! God bless you and the ways you encourage us!

   Reply

   • Oh, thank you, Sue!
     I do pray that these Whispers encourage and point directly to Him.
     Blessings,
     Gina

     Reply