A couple days ago (yikes, has it been that long since I've been blogging!?), I had to make a run to the store and my lovely neighbor Miji watched my gang. I haven't had much energy lately, and my house was a wreck. A wreck. I was so embarrassed, but the need for milk won and I called her. Have I mentioned Miji before? Well, let me introduce my darling baby-sitter. I prayed for Miji. Out of desperation, I asked God to send me someone I could trust to watch my kids when I had doctor's appointments, or wal-mart appointments, or whatever appointments and God sent me Miji. Yep. Right to my door step. After all, she does live next door! I will never forget the evening she told me that she would love to babysit for me. (I'm sure she's wanted to take that back at least once or twice!) I needed to hear that from someone because I am always afraid of asking people to do something they don't really want to do, but they cave anyway.
Miji has been a Godsend. And that day was no exception. When I came home from the store, I opened my door to find all of my neighbors cleaning my house!! Miji had asked her mom and her aunt to come over and help her clean up for me.
I can't even begin to describe what that felt like. No more waist high toys, or Mount Everest of laundry. No more scattered cups in the cabinet inflicting injury on unsuspecting heads. The relief and gratitude I felt was amazing. I literally cried after everyone had left and I opened the door to my bedroom where the kids had recently built a fort (i.e. destroyed the room) and it was clean. I could see the floor! The burden that rolled off my shoulders in that instant was tangible.
I was so incredibly blessed. Humbled, I remembered the scripture where Jesus tells us what the most important commandments are.
"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12: 28-31The Bible is not a book to be merely read. It was intended to be lived out. These scriptures are a testimony to that fact. Loving God will look like loving people. A love in action.
I am humbled. What kind of a neighbor am I? How often do I see a need and meet it? When do I go out of my way to do something kind for someone else?
I pray that I can be a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer. I pray that I will love my God more and in so doing, love others.
Dear Jesus,
Help me see the simple ways that I can love you and love people. Open my eyes and open my heart.
30 comments:
Oh, I understand. I understand what a gift that is. I now understand the phone call I got, as a babysitter myself, from the mother who thanked me for a clean house at the end of the day. It truly is a gift.
Wow, you are very blessed to have people looking out for you like that! Miji sounds like a very great woman! Can I borrow her for a day? lol
Dear Joye,
I am so glad that you posted this...it is a blessing to accept a gift like this so graciously, and recognize it as such. So many mothers feel guilty when they are not able to be "supermom" and do it all. Some might even feel angry or embarrassed that others would take it upon them selves to see a need and fill it immediately. In order for someone to be blessed for giving, there must be a humble and grateful receiver of that gift. You have graciously filled that role, and it is an important one too, because if we were all givers and their were no receivers, then none of us would be blessed.
Just as the Savior gave the greatest gift of all, his life for our salvation, we too must receive this gift in order for it to be of benefit for either party. I do believe that it is much harder to be the receiver in many instances, because we are all programmed to be the givers, but we must remember there is no gift if there is no receiver! Thank you for sharing this. In your reception you have given again, a gift of example of how to receive the good gift!
Michelle
wow! i am blessed and humbled just reading this. humbled because more often than not i do NOT go out of my way to show the love of christ to those around me, yet marvel in the blessing when others do it to me. thank you for sharing this. it has encouraged me and pushed me to live a little better, with my eyes a little more open.
What a beautiful example of sharing Jesus' love. That was such a blessing for you and your family. I am so glad you have such wonderful neighbors. May we each be that kind of neighbor.
Blessings,
Amy
What an awesome story and blessing your neighbor was to you. Our neighbors are the same way. I love them.
That is awesome! You are truly blessed!
That is so wonderful! God is so good!
What a great post! And a great reminder of how we all should be.
I am so glad God sent you a special hug when you needed it most.
How very kind of your neighbor to do that for you! What a special lady!
Oh Joye! I have been missing you and praying for you, knowing that you had not been feeling well and had such little ones at home while creating a new one within you. I am so glad to see you are being ministered to by God through your neighbors. What awesome neighbors you have and an awesome God who loves you so much!
Thank you God for hearing our prayer and showing Joye your love and compassion and care!
Love it. It's just that simple
I am so happy for you, to have a friend..Such a deep BLESSING...oxoxo..Be well..shi~
Dear Joye,
What a wonderful friend you have! She must really love you!
♥Hope
Awww...what a sweet, sweet neighbor! You are blessed indeed
:-)
Your little ones are just precious!
What an example of being the hands and feet of Jesus! Beautiful, Joye...thanks so much for encouraging us with this. What a blessing!
Continuing to pray for you, sweet friend...
It´s a humbling thing for sure. It´s been one of those things for me when others come in and clean my house but then I have to do what you have so graciously done and look at it as a God send.
What a beautiful gift! I am so thankful for you to have such lovely neighbors. God is so good to send you what you needed right when you needed it.
I love you Joye! You and your family are such a blessing to me! Yes, Joel and all his antics included! Hahah. We love having ya'll as our neighbors and wouldn't trade ya for anyone else!
Love,
Miji
Wish I could have met you. I love Miji and her family a lot. We are sort of related, LOL! Tell L I stopped by from Miji's blog. She'll tell you about us. So glad you felt blessed. Miji and Orissa are such sweet girls! I love L to pieces too! Wish we were neighbors, though I don't like LA humidity-killer. Hubby lived in BR for years and wouldn't live there now for nothing. We are in super dry CA now, loving the dry heat. Now, get back to work, the house can get to the same condition in a heart beat! Just kidding. You can eat bon bons all you want and blog. Kids can fin for themselves till Miji comes :)
Be blessed.
Thank you for your prayers. I stopped right now to pray for you and your little bunch. ;)
Oh how I adore His blessings--both big and small :)
Have a blessed day, friend.
Dear One,
What a beautiful neighbor you have with such a kind and loving heart. This truly is a fine example of how He wants all of us to be isn't it? Yes, Love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
God bless you.
Love & Blessings,
Alleluiabelle
Just wanted to stop by and say Hi. Making sure your doing good this week. Katie <><
hey you! been missing hearing from you! How are you doing?..Hope and pray all is well...will be praying for you :) hugs xoxoxoxoxo shi~
Beautiful. Isn't it amazing to live the life of a servant to others. Blessing people is such a wonderful experience. So wonderful for you to have Miji as a friend and helper in life.
If more people would meditate Mark 12: 28-31, I believe their lives would be different. It gets our eyes off of ourselves and onto others - just as Jesus lived.
I so enjoy your blog and have given you an award today. Hopefully others will stop in and find out how great of a blog you have, just like I did!
Kari
http://karinewsom.blogspot.com/
what a beautiful story......it's wonderful how God sends the perfect people in our life at just the right time, with just the right message too.
Peace~
*~Michelle~*
Hope you're doing okay Joye :) Just had to check in and tell you hello! I miss you!
Joye -- Lovely neighbors. Something tells me you've been on the giving end a few times, and these neighbors of yours wanted to reciprocate to a friend in need.
What a great lesson for all of us -- to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Blessings to you, and thank you for sharing.
What beautiful examples of our wonderful Savior. No wonder you cried when you were so blessed in the presence of our God.
Kat
Oh, sweet Joye...this is such a beautiful post! I just stopped by today to catch up with you and so enjoyed looking at the pictures of the kids and ready that awesome poem that you wrote!
But this post....it drew my tears...my sweet neice is in the process of moving away from her family, and I know that childcare is a huge concern to her. I am going to direct her to this post...in fact, I think I will put the link on my FB. Hope you don't mind!
You are such a sweetheart! Be blessed,
Susan
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