janbeek

Embrace Big-Hearted Folks!

Do you have big-hearted folks in your life?
How do you recognize them?

This morning my husband, Bob,
was driving to the nearest gas station
on a new mower for the church
that was donated by a big-hearted
anonymous donor when the mower stopped.
It didn’t have enough gas in it to get
the two and a half blocks to the gas station.

He was stalled in front of the house
of a lady we have known casually
(she used to work at a furniture store in town).
We didn’t know where he lived,
but Bob recognized her when
she came out and asked,
“Can I help you?”

A few minutes later she returned
from her garage with a gallon of gas
for Bob to put in the mower
so he could get to the station and fill up.

Yesterday our son, Ty, learned that
a family of eight from his church
had to be evacuated from their home.
The Caldor fire is the one in El Dorado County,
CA where we were concerned that Ty & Monika
might have to evacuate, but their home
seems to be below the fire line sufficiently
for them to be “out of danger.” (We pray!)

Ty and Monika are such big-hearted people
that they offered their home to the family
while our son and daughter-in-law
moved temporarily into their RV.

Now our concern is for our granddaughter, Faith.
She and her husband are in South Lake Tahoe –
and the fire seems to be headed for their neighborhood.

PRAY!!

Our choir director/pianist for or church
fell from the top of her steps leading into
her garage a few weeks ago.
She dislocated her shoulder and tore
a bunch of ligaments – needing surgery.
She lives about 40 miles from here –
40 miles from the nearest medical
and physical therapy center.

Our big-hearted friends here in Ennis
opened their home to her and her pup.
They drove her the 50 miles from here
to the surgery center – and back/forth
to the major hospital over a couple weeks.
Big-hearted people like them keep
showing up in our lives.
How about your life?

Today Bob was using the new mower to
cut the grass at the church.
We have ordered a mulching kit for it,
but it is not here yet, so the grass
was piled up on the sides of the mow strips
as he cut the overgrown lawn.

Big-hearted friends who are members
of our church offered to go and help
rake and bag the lawn trimmings
and take them to the dump.

How kind!!

It is that heart full of love
that is big-hearted!

Reminds me of the story of
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
If you will recall, when he reached out
to the people in Whoville to help them,
“His heart grew ___ sizes that day!”

Do you remember how many sizes?

That’s the key to being big-hearted…
Reaching out to help others
without expecting anything in return.

Whether it is with a gallon of gas
or loaning your shelter to friends in need
or taking a friend to their doctor appointment
or providing food for a family who’s hurting
or bagging lawn clippings,
there are countless ways we can
use our big-hearted generosity
to make the world a better place.

Join me
as we extend our heart
to those around us…

and pray for those in need
of food, shelter, friendship, health, safety, etc.

We can’t do everything,
but we can do SOMEthing.

What will you do today?