Luke 3:11
John told them, "If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I am reminded of the Andy Griffith episode where Opie is asked to contribute to charity, and he gives a measly three cents. His dad is very upset with him, and Opie finally admits that he saved up his allowance to buy a winter coat for a needy friend. There is also an episode where Opie gives up a job delivering groceries so that another friend who needs the money can work.
This passage is about so much more than clothes and food. And as “Opie Taylor” shows us, putting the needs of the other guy ahead of our own isn’t always easy or popular. But this doesn’t negate the fact that it’s the right thing to do. It seems like Opie had a knack for seeing needs and meeting them. Sadly, if some of us see a need, we turn and look away.
We talk a lot about nurture these days. But what does “nurture” really mean? I believe it means following Luke 3:11. I believe that real nurture means turning off your favorite television program and spending that hour talking to someone who could use a friend or writing get-well cards and notes of encouragement to people you know who are struggling. Real nurture means picking up an extra package of diapers at the store and giving them to your co-worker who has a new baby and two other kids and can barely pay the bills. True nurture means dropping everything when someone you know gets sick or dies … and rushing to the side of that person and/or family and friends to offer comfort and support.
Christian nurture requires us to lift our heads, open our eyes and ears, and look outside of ourselves to see the needs of others … and then meet them! If we don’t perform some act of Christian nurture almost every day, we probably aren’t serving very well. I didn’t say we have to cook a meal or give away clothing or do something on a grand scale. I am talking about something as simple as sacrificing five or ten minutes to really ask a friend, “How are you doing?” - and stick around for their answer. I’m talking about sending an e-mail to someone to let them know that God cares about them – and so do you. I’m talking about going out of your way to be polite to someone at the grocery store or in the school cafeteria.
There are countless ways to offer Christian nurture, if we will notice them. The question is … are we paying attention?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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