Give a “Rose”
My friend Bruce was a welfare officer. One summer day he cut an armful of roses from his garden and took them to a deprived area. He gave some to a blind lady who smelled them eagerly. “Such a change from the smells around here!” she exclaimed.
Bruce’s last visit was to what is nowadays called a problem family. The eldest girl was on two years’ probation. She stared sullenly when Bruce offered her his last rose. To his surprise, she snatched it and held it to her cheek. “No one’s ever given me a rose before,” she said. “I’ve never seen one close up.”
My friend was touched by the reverence with which the girl fingered his gift. “My heart went out to her,” he told me, “and I thought how different her life might have been if, earlier on, someone else had cared enough to give her a rose.”
Sometimes it takes so very little to bring joy and beauty into another’s life-and it can make so much difference.
-Francis Gay
When things go wrong,
And the outlook’s bleak,
And you feel
You can’t get through,
Don’t mope around,
But go and seek
Someone worse off
Than you.
A cheery word, a happy smile,
A helpful little deed,
And you’ll find that life
Is still worthwhile,
When you’ve helped
A friend in need.
-Author unknown
A most important question
During my second month of nursing school our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired, and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you can do is smile and say hello.”
I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
-JoAnn C. Jones
“You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.” - The Bible, Leviticus 19:18 (NKJ)
I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God. -Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
Of course, the most wonderful thing you can do for other people is to give them God’s love. Your own love will run out; it will never be enough. But if you have explained how they can know God, how they can have Jesus and His eternal, undying love in their heart, then God’s love can sustain them forever and be a help whenever they draw on it.
So if you’re wondering how you can reach out and show love to another person, even someone who seems self-sufficient and self-possessed, just ask if they believe in God, or if they would like to know more about Him. Ask if they’ve ever prayed to Jesus, or if they would like to. Ask them if they would like to have more love in their life, and then tell them how Jesus can come in and give them more love. This is the most wonderful and most lasting way to show love to anyone, so try giving them God’s love.
