A Common Bond

A Common Bond

Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

My mother loves to sew and quilt. She has made quilts for all her children and grandchildren, and she invests a great deal of time and care in the things that she makes. Last year, she was asked if she wouldn’t mind teaching women who are new to the country how to sew, as this could be a practical skill for them to learn as well as a marketable experience for potential employment opportunities. My mother is not a terribly outgoing person; she tends to be rather quiet and shy. But even though she was a bit nervous about stepping into this new role, she still agreed to help teach.

Each week she gathers with a small group of ladies who want to learn to sew, as well as several other instructors who are helping to teach the women. Through the group, she’s gotten to know one young woman who lives close by quite well, even giving her a ride to their weekly meetings. The two women are friends on opposite ends of life’s cycle: one young, just out of high school with dreams for her future, and the other a grandmother with years of life experience to look back on. My mom has been able to offer this young woman motherly advice, not just in how to sew but also in how to find employment and navigate future plans. The two women have forged an unlikely but significant bond.

As followers of Jesus, we should consider others’ needs as just as important as our own. My mother could have very easily dismissed the opportunity to help other women learn a new skill and gone on with her life, but she felt compelled to look out for the good of those who were in need of assistance. In turn, she has not only been able to teach women a practical skill but has now forged a new friendship that she would have missed if she hadn’t stepped out to help others, even though it was a little intimidating at first.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Ask God to show you someone to come alongside, to teach a new skill or encourage in life.