Remembering...

Terri Schiavo.

I'm thankful to have blogs such as Doug's to read which attempt to explain biblically what happened to Terri and our country, perhaps our world, when Terri died. Many are perhaps tired of the subject of "Terri Shiavo", but she was not just a 'subject' or a 'story'. She was a human being. She was a human being who could not speak for herself. She depended on others to care for her. I still care about Terri Shiavo's life, though I never knew her personally. I have been touched by the end of her life, when I first became aware of her. I will always remember her and her story.

Though she is not with us anymore, I can remember others like her, whom I may not know, and whom I may never know, but for whom I can still pray as an intercessor that God will put godly men and women in their individual lives to care for every detail of their individual needs simply for the reason that God cares about the details of their individual needs, no matter how minor. He cares about His children's lives, and He wants His children to likewise care for the details of each other's lives. Oh, if only our world cared about one another what a beautiful world it would be....but alas, that is not to be in these end-times and actually was prophesied to be the opposite. (2 Timothy 3:1-8)

I still hold out hope for individuals to care for others in their own little worlds, in their own neighborhoods, and I know that that happens. There are communities that come together and support a family during the loss of a home due to fire or other disaster by giving prepared meals, clothing, personal items, and whatever they feel they would want if they lost their own homes. People come together and support a family during their loss of a loved one to death by appearing at the funeral home just to say they're there and they care, even if they didn't know the deceased personally. They also support with prepared foods and duties around the home during this time to help and support those in grief. Sometimes just to be a companion and to be there with a listening ear. I know those types of communities. I live in one now. And my community, my neighborhood, my town, is my hope for a brighter world in these dark days. But not only my town, I know that there are towns across this nation, and across this world, that express brotherly love to one another in these manners and even more. That is what gives me hope.

If you've read this far, perhaps you might begin a new task. Find someone, anyone, a stranger or a friend, for whom you can do something nice for today. You might just send an encouraging letter (or e-mail, though a handwritten letter is such a pleasure in today's world), or make a phone call, or just go for a visit. Be there for someone else today. It doesn't have to take a long time. It could be a brief 15 minute visit, or a long one. Just find some way to encourage someone today. Perhaps even just smiling and saying "hello" to someone in passing would brighten a lonely heart. Now that is a tradition here in the Southern USA and perhaps that might not work in other parts of the country or world (have you seen Emily's story about her southern self in Paris, France?), but hopefully you are understanding what I'm trying to say.

Let's be encouraging today. Let's be an encouragement to someone today. The concept is not a new one, but it still has fresh and new results. I imagine by lifting up one person's countenance today, you have caused that person to perhaps lift the spirits of another in return, who being brighter will be a blessing to someone else. And may the encouragement never end....

I leave my post today with an encouraging word from the Book that brings me encouragement, the Holy Bible.

Romans 15: 1-5

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.