Open Hands, Open Heart

Open Hands, Open Heart

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

Proverbs 3:27-28

I know an Amish couple whose infant son was having seizures after birth. He was hospitalized for many weeks, yet the couple did not worry about medical bills. They knew that all their needs would be cared for because the Amish believe—and live—mutual care for each other.

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, there is a local organization called the Amish Aid Society. This organization of the Old Order Amish and Mennonites has been assisting Plain communities since 1890. When one member of the Amish community has a bill, the cost is split between all members. In fact, the concept of informal hospitalization insurance exists in all Amish communities. This makes me consider my expectations for giving and receiving within my own neighborhood.

When I first moved to Little Rock and started working with teenage mothers, I was overwhelmed with their needs for advice, for clothing items for their babies, for diapers, and for food. Although it took me time and money, over time I found community resources and other ways to help them.

Sharing doesn’t come naturally. Just ask any mother of a toddler. Yet God is glorified when we give . . . not just live our own, independent lives. Unlike the Amish, most of us don’t live in communities where our money is pooled to take care of each other’s needs, but that shouldn’t stop us from doing what we can on our own.

When it comes to giving, there are two godly principles to consider. First, what can I give? Second, what can I give today? Often we have good intentions of giving, but time slips away from us. “Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith,” reads Galatians 6:10. I love that word whenever.

Who do you know in need? Open your hands, open your heart today. You can be an answered prayer for someone in need.

Dear heavenly Father, stir my heart concerning the need of a special person today, and may I give cheerfully.