When Friendship Steps In

When Friendship Steps In

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them.

It was a Wednesday morning, and I had just finished getting my kids up and ready for the day when I got the phone call.

“Honey, I have some news,” my mom quietly stated. “Uncle Jimmy had a heart attack last night—he’s gone.”

How? I thought. What happened? I was reminded of a similar call I’d received from my mom just a month earlier. Jimmy had been in the hospital; he’d had another episode with his heart. I’d told my mom that day, “It’s going to be a sad day for me when Uncle Jimmy dies.”

It was that day.

“Your dad and I are going up to the farm today,” my mom said, bringing me back to the moment.

“I’m going with you,” I hurriedly replied.

As I hung up, my mind was already planning how I would manage the day and be able to go along. I called my friend Terri, hoping her daughter Madi, a teenager who is great with my kids, would be around. But when I asked, Terri told me Madi was already babysitting for another family.

I burst into tears—something I had tried to steel myself against just moments before. As Terri asked what was wrong, I could hear the sympathy in her voice. I explained through my tears that my uncle had died, and that I was desperate to be with the rest of my family.

“I’ll watch your kids,” Terri said, without missing a beat.

“You don’t want to watch my crazy kids!” I exclaimed.

“Yes, I do, I’m already on my way,” she said.

As I hung up, I breathed a prayer of thanks for Terri’s friendship. She quickly put aside her own agenda and stepped in to help me at the last minute, just as Paul tells us in Romans to always be ready to help others when a need arises. It can be a challenge to set aside our own schedules to help someone else, but it is one of the greatest gifts we can give to a friend.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Look for a way you can assist someone in need.