Let us not love with words or tongue but with
actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18 (NIV)
I know little about the young couple that
lives near my husband and me. Dogs gambol in their yard, and their cat often threatens
the birds and squirrels foraging at our birdfeeder. I’d noticed the young woman
was pregnant.
Recently a blizzard struck our area in full
force; snow piled up eighteen-plus-inches deep. Road crews battled the snow ‘round
the clock to maintain passable roads. The young couple got their sedan stuck at
the end of their driveway. Hearing the whine of spinning wheels, I watched out
a window while the young woman exited the car. The young man grasped her elbow
as she gingerly picked her way around the car to the driver’s side and slid
into the driver’s seat. I wondered whether she’d given birth, whether the
newborn was in the car. The young man tried to push the car out of the snowdrift without success.
I pulled on snow boots and a coat and
hurried out to offer help. “She’s had a C-section,” the young man said. “The
baby’s still in the hospital.” His pale face and furrowed brow displayed his
distress.
Not wanting to pry, I offered to climb
into the driver’s seat so the young woman could go into the house and rest.
The young man and I partnered to rock the
car back and forth, back and forth. He pushed while I worked the gears, gas,
and brake pedals.
The car wouldn’t budge.
I remembered that another neighbor owns an
ATV with an attached plow. Sure enough, he helped and the three of us got the
car unstuck and went our separate ways.
The following Sunday, I mentioned the
incident to my adult Sunday School class while we chatted about the record
snowfall and challenges of clearing paths and driveways. Someone suggested
collecting items for the baby. Within a week we collected two large gift bags
overflowing with disposable diapers, baby wipes, blankets, undershirts, Johnson’s
baby powder, and supermarket gift cards.
When
my husband and I presented the gift bags to the couple, the young mother’s eyes
filled with tears and the young father’s voice broke while they thanked us over
and over again.
“This is what Jesus meant,” I thought,
giving the young mother a gentle hug. “Serve others. Love your neighbor. It’s
better to give than to receive.”
“The baby can’t come home yet,” the young
mother said, “but she’s gaining weight—always a good sign.”
“Hopefully soon,” the young father said.
I pray that she does.
