February 1
Scripture: Rom 12:13
Source author: Laura Chevalier
February 1
My Family Next Door When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. —Romans 12:13
Brrrrrring! I was becoming annoyed. The shrill sound of the basic doorbell that someone had decided to install in my little house in a remote part of Kenya grated on me. Why would the person ringing the doorbell not give up? I had been through some difficult circumstances and I just wanted to be left alone. I did not want to entertain any visitors. But the visitor did not give up. Brrrrrrring! There it was again. I wondered if the neighborhood kids were just having a little fun. But, no, there was a pause and it rang firmly again. Alarmed that some sort of emergency might have arisen, I went to the door. My neighbor, a local pastor who spoke no English but who possessed a gentle and compassionate spirit, looked at me with love in his eyes and told me, “Sister, you must join us for dinner.” He knew I was hurting and would not give up ringing that doorbell. He wanted me to know that I was part of their family
too.
Often it takes persistent love to reach out to others and include them. — Laura Chevalier —