Heather is a graduate from the esteemed Yale University who lives in a trailer park in a rural part of the US. Why not take a big job in a big city? Well, it’s not because she’s fallen on hard economic times.
She lives there by choice.
Heather could have landed a lucrative job that afforded her a comfortable life in a dream home. Instead, her mission is to help some of the most vulnerable get out of poverty. Together with other members of her church and community, Heather offers friendship, mentoring, morning prayer times, and a reliable car that starts.
To Heather, those entrenched in poverty aren’t statistics; they’re real people with first and last names. When she looks at the poor, she sees their strengths and their potential where others might only see failure and insurmountable odds.
Why does she do this? Heather is a follower of Jesus who believes she’s been called to shape her life after her Savior and Lord, particularly through service to those who haven’t enjoyed the same comforts, resources, and privileges she has.
Heather’s humble service to those in poverty reminds me of a profound question once posed by another follower of Jesus. After exhorting his readers to live a life of sacrifice modeled by Jesus (1 John 3:16), John asked, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” (1 John 3:17).
Following Jesus isn’t only costly and uncomfortable, but it can also look crazy to a world that lives out a different set of values. May we reach out to help those in need today—participating with God in His saving and restoring work in our broken world (1 John 3:18).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 23:32-49
More:
Read Philippians 2:4 and think about what it means to open our eyes and heart to the needs of others.
Next:
How can you show Christ’s love to someone in need with both your words and your actions? In what ways did Jesus sacrifice Himself so that you could be rescued from spiritual poverty?
godlove on September 26, 2016 at 3:32 am
Great story, that of Heather and what an excellent example of living for others, sharing with love, and following the example which Christ Himself taught us. I find it wonderful that one of the main pillars of our faith as followers of Christ, is caring for one another’s needs, both physical and spiritual and not only looking out for our own interests. Permit me go a step further in saying this is most admirable when done in humility (like I guess Heather does), not blowing our good deeds on trumpets but going about quietly showing Christ’s love to those in need around us, as Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:2-4. I particularly like the way He puts it in verse 3, “But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Thank you for this important reminder today, Jeff. Blessed week to all; with love.
Gary Shultz on September 26, 2016 at 6:12 am
Hi Jeff, as godlove has said it is a good account of a life touched to show God’s love. We can not show love for any extended period of time without that love coming from the heart and when it comes to sacrifice and giving to others, it will have to be reflective from God. We must know it, to show it. Christ kept nothing for Himself while He was on this earth, it was all given including His life. Sometimes seeing needs is not easy, other times it is very obvious, and not all needs are material, as you state. I find I must be open to God voice, to join in a work God is starting in someones soul. There are also many good ministries that help the needy if we have been blessed to give. Thanks Jeff
gagirllive on September 26, 2016 at 9:15 am
Jeff, I don’t know about anyone else, but this is a timely exhortation for me today. As I examine my life, I find an increasing awareness of and longing for real engagement with those who often feel marginalized. I can easily settle into a comfort zone where there is only limited and peripheral contact with such people. Sure, I give to plenty of ministries, donate plenty of canned goods, serve in the annual holiday soup kitchen, pack the Christmas shoe boxes, and so on, but I know that discipleship is more than that. Like Heather, we have all been called to enter into the lives of needy people. That’s what Christ did for us. Real love demands that. It is compassion in action. I think Heather has taken this call to its highest level by entering into their “world”, so to speak, and building relationships. I find that to be the missing element in my life in terms of my giving, and I’d like to change that. In fact, I believe the Lord has opened an opportunity for me in this regard. I have been volunteering a few hours each month with a ministry in my city that serves women from some very dark places. I have become quite comfortable in my role there—one that is helpful but keeps me on the periphery of what actually goes on there. But of course, the Lord won’t let me settle for that. 🙂 Recently, the director asked me to consider mentoring some of the ladies whom they serve. This will mean building up-close and personal relationships with them—pouring my life into theirs. Here is my opportunity to love and engage needy people in greater measure, isn’t it? Thank you for the boost of encouragement today, Jeff. I needed it. Grace and peace to you all.
Jeff Olson on September 26, 2016 at 10:01 am
Heather’s story of humble service is timely for me as well!
hsnpoor on September 26, 2016 at 11:06 am
I’m lifting you in prayer, GG, as you allow the Lord to lead you, guide you and equip you to go deeper in this mission He has brought you to that all involved would be greatly blessed and that God would be glorified. Praise The Lord!
gagirllive on September 26, 2016 at 11:17 am
Thank you so much, Kim! I sure do need the prayer support! On another note concerning prayer, it’s been a while since Sandy posted on the forum. Please let us know how our dear sister is doing, if you can. Praying for her continued recovery.
sim jing ying on September 26, 2016 at 9:55 am
I will share bible verses through social media since I made a vow to God once getting an iPhone 6 with him or her and bring him or her to church. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross to set us free from spiritual poverty into His marvelous light and life.
Tom Felten on September 26, 2016 at 9:59 am
Jeff, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a good neighbor. One thing that stands out is that you can only a know a persons’ need by knowing him or her. May we intentionally reach out to our neighbors and all those in our spheres of influence, listening for and seeing the needs that we can meet by God’s grace and provision.
gagirllive on September 26, 2016 at 10:33 am
So true, Tom. But don’t you think that we have the tendency to control, or at least place limits on, our “sphere of influence”? We don’t all have to do what God has obviously called Heather to do, but I am challenged by the fact that she made a “choice” to step out of her comfort zone to minister to people whose life experiences differ a great deal from hers . I think our natural inclination is to stay within the safe bounds of what is most familiar to us—serving in our neighborhood, our people group, our church denomination, etc. Certainly there are people there who need the touch of Christ from us as well, but I think it would be good to seek ways to intentionally serve “outside the box”, don’t you?
Tom Felten on September 26, 2016 at 10:40 am
Absolutely. But for many of us, it can be uncomfortable to simply reach out to that neighbor across the street. As Lance Ford & Brad Brisco note in their book “Next Door as it is in Heaven,” when we try to love “everyone,” we often don’t love anyone well. May we love our neighbors AND those God directs us to way outside of our comfort zones well—reflecting God’s own love.
gagirllive on September 26, 2016 at 10:52 am
Amen. Thank you for that, Tom. I think I need to read that book too !
Tom Felten on September 26, 2016 at 2:04 pm
It’s a good one! Another helpful read is “The Art of Neighboring” by Runyon and Pathak.
Jeff Olson on September 26, 2016 at 2:51 pm
Absolutely…we have to guard ourselves from being stretched too thin…that’s always a danger…I just so appreciated Heather’s humility and willingness to sacrifice for the folks God called her too.
gagirllive on September 26, 2016 at 3:05 pm
Yes…humility and willingness—the two necessities for serving the Lord!
minkjh on September 26, 2016 at 2:22 pm
The ‘Heathers’ of the world are standard-bearers for true discipleship. As we transition through life our ambitions and goals may change, but for the believer the focus always should be on the person and work of Jesus Christ. When we encounter various avenues of opportunity for service in the wider community and answer the call, we demonstrate not only a missionary’s heart of compassion but also devotion to God’s will for our lives. Jeff’s comment ‘Heather is a follower of Jesus who believes she’s been called to shape her life after her Savior and Lord, particularly through service to those who haven’t enjoyed the same comforts, resources, and privileges she has’ bears testimony to her true commitment, one that displays God’s glory and not hers.