The second winter he had the blower, two elderly neighbors from California moved in across the street. The couple both had heart problems and Ned noticed them struggling to shovel the drive after the first snow fall. When he saw them wrestling with the snow, he simply started his blower, pushed it across the street, and did their's too. It just became a part of the routine; twelve minutes for both drives. Ned then also remembered that his other neighbor, Mike, left for work at 4:30 in the morning, so he bagan doing his too. Another four minutes.
A few years later, his next door neighbor, Larry, passed away. Because his widowed wife, Pearl, was also elderly, Ned just started doing hers too. Another five minutes. Later that same year, the neighbors down the block had a baby, so Ned added their's to his routine too. By the end of that year, Ned was snow blowing about a half hour and doing five driveways.
Ned was happy to be the neighborhood plowman, relishing in the joy of caring for and serving his community. One night, though, he fell deathly ill and had to be taken to the hospital. Over the course of a two day bed-ridden, hospital stay he recovered and was eventually released. As his wife was driving him home, he felt so bad because there had been a huge snowfall the night before.
However, as they arrived back in the neighborhood, he was astonished to see that all of the driveways were done. To his amazement, Ned's wife told him that in the morning she looked out the front window to see one of their other neighbors, whom they had never even met, doing the driveways. Ned nearly broke into tears. He never realized the affect that he had made over the past few years.
The point is example. If we are to be the salt and light of the world, the very hands and feet of Christ, then we need to look at the needs around us and step in to fill them. Jesus calls us to love as He loves us. Think of that: He gave His very life, dying upon the cross to serve and to love all humankind. Laying down our preference and our comfort in order to care for others is what being a Christian is all about. Therefore, let us seek out opportunities to serve and then seize them for Him!
Ned was happy to be the neighborhood plowman, relishing in the joy of caring for and serving his community. One night, though, he fell deathly ill and had to be taken to the hospital. Over the course of a two day bed-ridden, hospital stay he recovered and was eventually released. As his wife was driving him home, he felt so bad because there had been a huge snowfall the night before.
However, as they arrived back in the neighborhood, he was astonished to see that all of the driveways were done. To his amazement, Ned's wife told him that in the morning she looked out the front window to see one of their other neighbors, whom they had never even met, doing the driveways. Ned nearly broke into tears. He never realized the affect that he had made over the past few years.
The point is example. If we are to be the salt and light of the world, the very hands and feet of Christ, then we need to look at the needs around us and step in to fill them. Jesus calls us to love as He loves us. Think of that: He gave His very life, dying upon the cross to serve and to love all humankind. Laying down our preference and our comfort in order to care for others is what being a Christian is all about. Therefore, let us seek out opportunities to serve and then seize them for Him!
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