Loving our Widows

God has always protected those who couldn't protect or provide for themselves. In Deut 14:29 God commanded that every three years a special feast would be prepared for the Levites, widows, orphans, and aliens (foreigners) in the town. Proverbs 15:25 says "The LORD tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact." 1 Tim 5:1-3 shows how to treat those around us, including our widows; "¹Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, ²older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. ³Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." Finally in James 1: 26-27, Christians were told this: "²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Needless to say, we are to care for those in need. Care for our widows and orphans. Be the family that they need.

For our December Ladies Ministry event, we focused on our widows (widowers and shut-in also). I requested that our members donate items to place in small baskets for these special people. The abundance of items was overwhelming and heartwarming. On Friday night we met at the church for food, fellowship, devotional and basket making. We were few in number, but that didn't stop us from having a good time. The baskets turned out beautiful and were received by our widows/shut-in with such joy and excitment. Seeing their faces made the whole event worthwhile.