First Baptist Church of Herndon

Who cares?

Linda Soller | Dec 08, 2014

Advent is such an exciting time, running here and there, missing lunch and making up for it by having extra Christmas cookies right before dinner, and again at bedtime. Oh, so you don’t do that? Well, I’m sure some people, who will go un-named, do that. Anyway, in addition to the busy days we experience, and the massive amounts of wrapping paper we go through, it’s always heartwarming to see how people take care of others at this time of year. Food drive boxes are everywhere, and food banks have a chance to restock. People donate coats, hats, gloves, and scarves to the shelters. Toys are collected for distribution to those who can’t afford to buy them. I read an article about a teen who was knitting hats and gloves for her local shelter and realized she couldn’t do it all alone. She created a Facebook page to get volunteers and the response was amazing. She was getting tons of handcrafted items. It occurred to her that she didn’t really want all these things coming to her so instead she started helping others establish programs in their own towns. She stopped long enough to care, and put her concerns into action. Next she put her experience to work helping others care for people in their own communities.

Often in the Christmas story of the Bible we miss some of the caring that is clearly demonstrated. Take the shepherds. We tend to focus on them as people who responded quickly to the star over the manger and then got the word out. Both true, and both good things. Shepherds were known for having all the latest news. Shepherds were not the upper crust of society, but they were obviously caring people. Their responsibility included caring for animals that were important to the economy, but who were not really well prepared to care for themselves. In doing this job the shepherds gave up much of their time and life among other people, which could be an appealing scenario at times, to live out in the elements with the sheep. They knew their sheep, and gained their trust by caring.

How about the Inn Keeper in the story. Have you ever thought about him? I always assumed he was an opportunistic businessman, but we can’t be sure of that. Maybe he was just a caring person who felt badly for this young couple, expecting a child, with nowhere to go.  It’s possible he couldn’t bear sending them away to the unknown, so he offered the stable, where at least they would have some protection. Too often we make assumptions and fail to see what may really be happening before our eyes.

Last week Chapter Four, our writing group, had a public appearance at a local library to discuss writing groups and how they can be supportive. It was a rainy night with dropping temperatures, the first day back to school after the holiday weekend, and Cyber Monday. Not the best night to draw a crowd. One young boy came with his father. The boy is writing a book, and he had some concerns about the process. I saw the excitement in his face, but I also saw the love in his father’s face. His father knew how important this was to his son and brought him out on a school night to ask his questions, even though he could have been at home, warm and dry. The father talked about what he did to nurture his son’s interest, he really cared about helping his son. These were simple acts of caring.

Caring is not always obvious, on the other hand, a person holding a door, or letting someone move ahead in a line, or driving someone to an appointment, or giving a hug, are clearly visible acts of caring. People who care will listen, will communicate, and will think in terms of solutions. A caring person won’t always say yes, but will always think before saying no. To care is to appreciate another person’s position, even if you don’t approve with how they got there. Thankfully we all care differently and about different things. Caring is individual and personal. Advent and Christmas challenge each of us to ask, who cares? Do you?

Have a great week!  :o)    Linda