Whitnee's journey with Christ

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”

Luke 6:35-36

Typically after Thanksgiving as the days pass, folks gets tired of eating leftover Turkey, stuffing, yams, collards, and ham. Some folks freeze it, some folks share with their friends and family, some folks decide to help the needy, and let’s be honest some folks end up throwing it in the trash.

There are so many instances when Holidays are the only time people get a good meal. There are instances when the things that we take for granted, folks would give anything just to step a mile in our shoes.

Well I want to share a true story that was shared with me by a good friend of mine on yesterday- she blessed my soul and I want to be a good steward of faith and pass that blessing on to you.

This ball of sunshine was on her way to work when she saw an elderly man who had a Cracker Barrel hand who looked to be in medical distress. Initially she passed him because of traffic she was not able to stop in time BUT her spirit convicted her to turn around. Once she got to him she realized his oxygen levels were low and he had an open wound. As sweet as she was to stop, she was not medically trained to handle this situation.

The elderly man just happened to have a life alert bracelet and she was able to seek medical attention. According to this angel, she stated EMT was on site within 5 minutes.

Though she was not able to provide direct care, her stopping to assist and try to render aid could have potentially saved his life. I’m not surprised by her act of kindness because that is who she is. She has never met a stranger.

I was so blessed by her calling to share her story because it was a strong example of what it means to show compassion to other people.

Sometimes in life we get so caught up, we fail to slow down to help others.

Help doesn’t always come in the form of a medical emergency. Help can be picking up the phone to check on someone, stopping by to say hello, providing a meal, pulling your neighbors trash to the curb, or something as simple as just being present for a friend.

After the conversation a cousin whom had been on my mind weighed heavy on my heart. And then I heard Barry White singing, “practice what you preach!” Now if that wasn’t God talking to me?! So I called my cousin.

Though we hadn’t spoken in a while, the conversation was so good and I tell you much needed. You see it’s not often I get to talk on the phone or pick up the phone, as I have gotten so custom to texting that it was nice to actually hear her voice and she her beautiful face through the phone.

An hour or so went by and I was just taken aback at how much God’s timing felt so overwhelming. I was thinking to myself, “Lord am I about to die because you are just showing out!” And I remembered my mom saying all the time, “Whitnee’ if you just be quiet sometimes, you will hear God talking.”

I’ve been in situations where God yelled at me and then it was moments like this where God spoke ever so gently. God was telling me that even though “life be lifing” we should never forget to show compassion or simply what it means to be human. Sometimes I feel like we never got a sense of what it meant to be neighborly after the pandemic.

With Christmas quickly approaching I want to challenge each of you reading this message to not think about self, but think of someone who may not be as blessed as you are and could use that hot meal that you are about to throw in the trash, they could use that sweater you’ve had in your closet since 2021 but haven’t lost the weight to actually fit into it, or stopping by to check on Sister Maybelle or Brother Tucker whom might have been missing from the IGA a few weeks now.

When is the last time you FED your neighbor? When is the last time you CHECKED on your neighbor? When is the last time you DROVE your neighbor and saved them a trip on the bus or in the yellow checker cab? When is the last time you HELPED your neighbor? Heck when is the last time you SPOKE to your neighbor? (You know folks will walk right pass you like they didn’t see you and not say a mumbling word, but then talk about you behind your back, when you stuck up to say hello or even wave your hand).

As we approach a new day, a new season, a new year it is my prayer we can retrain our minds to show folks we care and we can do good things without recognition or expecting something in return. We want to bear good fruit.

“For a good tree does it bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 
“For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of his evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:43-45

When you have a moment I want you to read 1 John 3:16-23. For context of todays message I’ll write for you verse 18. It reads, My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

It’s so easy to say we going to do this or do that but it takes a special person aka folks like Kami and Geneva to actually live in deed and in truth. They are blessed to be blessings to other people. And I know like me so many folks are happy and bless God for their life and their work for the kingdom of God.

My prayer is that the next folks we encounter whether it be family, friend, stranger or foe that we be more like Christ and help whether it be a simple hello, how you doing, how can I help you, etc.?

FED, ClOTHE, HELP, SHARE, CARE, PRAY FOR, WELCOME IN, …….. your neighbor? Time to increase the amount of good fruit we are producing. It’s time to show the world we care, especially for the ones who are suffering from grief, depression, anxiety, sickness, financial hardship, etc.