I got a voicemail last night.
"Emily, this is Shirley. I have something for you. Will you call me before you go to bed tonight so I can bring it over?"
YES!!!! When you get this message from Shirley, it means one thing...she is bringing me something delicious that she has baked.
Actually, it means a lot of things:
Shirley is 65+ years old. She is retired. She has her freedom from kids living at home, work schedules, etc. She could do anything she wants with her time...travel, shop, TV...but she picks peaches from her own backyard, cuts them up, and bakes pies from scratch (I think she said she did 12 this time!) and calls people up to deliver them.
She calls it her "hobby". Blessing others is her hobby.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." Colossians 3:23
Friends, it can be anything. What can you do? What do you like to do? What are your hobbies? How can you do it to bless someone else?
Admittedly, I have some reservations...do I just show up and do these things? Do I call first? What if they say no? What if they hate it? I think Miss Shirley has this down: Just call and say "I'm bringing it over." Just do it!
So, write this down, make a little list of things you can do.
Are you killer at this one recipe? Make a bunch of batches and give them out.
Crafty? Who would be blessed to have your work on their wall?
Musical? Volunteer to work up a song with your friend's kid to record for them, or to sing at church.
Can you wash dishes? Fold laundry? Scrub a toilet? Do you know someone who would feel great to be relieved of some of this work?
Can you babysit and give a momma the morning off?
Can you mow a yard? Give an hour of your morning to a lonely older friend to chat? Gather up some hand me downs with some life left in them and GIVE them away for FREE to someone who needs them?
Ok, I am feeling convicted...so I will stop.
Here is the kicker, I don't need a peach pie. My day would have been fine without it. But I can't stop thinking about how special it is that Shirley put me on her list and followed through...all the way to calling me up and bringing it over. Our loving actions and never too small, and never unnecessary.
When have you been blessed by an act of unnecessary kindness? And if you do take a step to bless someone, it's OK to share it here. We won't think you are bragging...just inspiring the rest of us to do the same.
