The month of May we are focusing on the second half of our motto, "In to heal. Out to love." As I was thinking about what this love should look like - this love that we are to take outside the walls of our home and church - Linda came to my mind. You see, Linda has been a member of our church her whole life. Linda may be mentally challenged, but if you show her old photos from our church archives, she knows all the previous pastor's names! A while back, my husband gave Linda a job to do. She was to hand out the bulletins to everyone as they came in. Linda was thrilled to do this and it's rare now for someone not to get a bulletin from this faithful servant.
Every Sunday Linda sits in the front row, next to the pastor. Every Sunday she brings him coffee during the fellowship time and water during his preaching time. Almost every Sunday Linda kneels at the altar for prayer - but not for herself - no, she kneels for anyone in her life that she knows is sick. Linda doesn't come to church just to receive, she comes to give. There is hardly a holiday that goes by that my husband and I don't receive a gift from Linda. And ever since our son got married, she buys gifts for him and his family too.
Over the years, things have changed in our church. We discontinued the Wednesday and Sunday evening services. This took a while for Linda to process, because it meant less time of fellowship with her church family, yet she never complained.
A joy-filled, faithful, servant who lays down her life for her friends. Isn't this love?
I know Jesus is our PERFECT example of what love looks like, but is it possible, that when we look at Linda, we see Jesus sitting among us every Sunday?
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