The Hands And Feet Of Jesus

My dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Shrugging off my winter coat, I make my way to the table my mom is standing behind, lining up scissors, tags, and tape. Behind her, boxes filled with upright rolls of wrapping paper are sandwiched next to one another.

We chat idly, exchanging greetings with others stationed behind their own tables, until a slight commotion at the door signals that it’s time to begin. Kids tumble into the room and are ushered over to tables.

“Hi, ladies!” one adult says brightly as she accompanies a child to our table and hands me a garbage bag filled with items. “This is Tyler.”

“Hi, Tyler,” I say. “Let’s see what you picked out. Ooh, what a pretty bath set. Who’s this one for?”

“My mom,” he whispers, brown eyes raising shyly before dropping to study the floor again.

“She’s going to love it,” I say. We consult about the kind of paper she’d like, and as he starts carefully writing out a tag with her name on it, my mom and I get to work on wrapping it along with all of the other items in his bag.

After Tyler leaves, other children take his place in an endless round until our shift ends a couple of hours later.

I love volunteering each year for Kids Hope Shop, an event put on by our local homeless shelter that lets at-risk kids “shop” for their families for free. I love seeing the kids and their smiles, the contagious excitement of choosing items for their loved ones, and the spirit of the Christmas season that permeates the event.

By the night’s end, my back aches and my feet are sore, but I always leave feeling energized and thankful. It’s easy to get caught up in our day-to-day concerns, but when we step beyond our door and reach out to help others, we realize our true potential. You and I have the great privilege of being the hands and feet of Jesus in this world, and every time we do things for others, it glorifies him. No act of kindness is ever wasted when it demonstrates love to another person made in God’s image.

Kristin

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Schedule time to volunteer in your local community within the next few weeks.