At the Service of Another (07/05/2025)

It’s no secret; I am getting older. It is a blessing that I give thanks to the LORD for daily. However, as with most blessings, there is another side. Age brings new challenges. I am finding that I am not as spry or agile as I once was. And steps are especially challenging for me. So, when my grandson was visiting, I showed him my front steps and shared with him my concern. And he promised to make me a railing that would make my trips up and down my front entry safer for me.

He got his materials and his tools together, and this past Wednesday, he created and installed a front railing for me. He is a master welder and fabricator. His creation for my safety is elegantly simple. It is strong. It is built just for me, the right height, the right length. He used his gifts and talents to serve me. And I am so proud of what he created and even more proud of his gift of time and talent. He came after a long day. He worked in the heat and sun. He cut, he drilled, he welded, he sanded, he secured everything with bolts. It is sturdy. It is beautiful.

As I sat and stared at this wonderful gift for me and my safety, I thought of how this is the way things should work; we see a need, we do what we can with what we have been given, not for our own benefit exclusively, but for the benefit of others as well. I thought of my grandson’s generosity of time and talent. And I appreciated the love woven invisibly within the structure.

We have all been given time. We have all been given talents and gifts. And we are all called to use both not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others, to address the needs of others, always with love. Sometimes it will be within our own families and neighborhoods, but other times it will mean going out of the way to help another. We are all called to do this.

I wonder what the world would look like if we all took every opportunity to lovingly respond to the needs we encounter in our day. My grandson’s gift made me more acutely aware of our ability to respond to the real needs of others. I’m reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is sad, but it is reality. Not all of us respond as we should; in this world it is all too easy to walk by, not look, not care.

But Jesus’ love for us and His own example reminds us that “easy” isn’t anywhere in the instructions. We need only glance for a second at the crucifix to realize that “the Way” isn’t about “easy” – it is all about love applied, about love spent.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.