One Thanksgiving I called home to greet my parents. As we talked, I asked my mom what she was most grateful for. She exclaimed that she was most grateful that “all three of my children know how to call on the name of the Lord.” For my mother, who’d always emphasized the importance of education, there was something more valuable than her children doing well in school and taking care of themselves.

Her sentiments remind me of Proverbs 22:6: “Start children off on the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it.” While this isn’t a promise, and many children do wander from God for a least a season of life, she and my father had strived to raise us to humbly, reverently love God (v. 4)—primarily through example. Now, by His grace, they were able to see us grow older and benefit from a personal relationship with Him. As verse two says, God is “the Maker of . . . all.” And although some children will respond to loving instruction in Christ, others might take longer to perhaps hear His voice. For those precious children, we continue to pray and rest in God’s timing.

Mom’s humble thanksgiving points to what’s most important in life. Reverently loving God yields spiritual riches for this life and beyond (v. 4). And while we can’t control what children will choose do, we can rest in the hope that God will lovingly continue to work in their hearts.

“No matter where you are, what you’re going through; use what you have and make the most of it,” said the young woman in a TV interview. Her words prompted me to listen carefully to the full story. I learned that she was one of six sisters working toward nursing degrees. They were once homeless and struggling. Yet they worked together to reach their common goal. And at the time the story aired, all six sisters were completing the nursing program at a local university.

Numbers 27 tells the story of another group of sisters who worked together and supported each other. The five daughters of Zelophehad challenged a law about inheritance. They gathered together and stood before Moses to plead their case, saying, “Our father died . . . for his own sin and left no sons. . . . Give us property among our father’s relatives” (vv. 3-4). God answered with this revolutionary statement: “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance” (v. 7).

The five sisters came together and sought God’s mercy as they stood before Moses. And God provided what they needed as they banded together before Him.

Working together isn’t always easy as believers in Jesus. But as we seek God’s wisdom and direction with humility, we’ll find He can help us serve well together in Christ.

I walked to the airline kiosk to check in using the confirmation number stored in my cell phone. But my phone was missing! I’d left it behind in the car that had dropped me off. So how could I contact the ride-hailing driver who’d dropped me off?

As I scrambled to connect my laptop to the airport’s Wi-Fi, I worried it was too late. Utilizing an app, my husband noticed my phone wasn’t with me at the airport and had already sent me an email—waiting for me as soon as I connected to the Wi-Fi. His email said: “Send me the car service’s number and I’ll take care of it.” My husband had jumped in to take care of things—giving me an immediate sense of peace.

This is part of the peace I believe God wants us to enjoy in the relationship we can experience with Him through Christ. First Peter 5:7 reminds us to “cast all [our] anxiety on him because he cares for [us].” This verse says that God wants to take on our worries and concerns. Why? Because He cares that much for us. We can give our cares to God rather than allowing them to swim around in our heads as we try to figure things out.

Casting our anxiety on God is a form of humility that acknowledges that He’s much more capable of handling our concerns than we are (v. 6). Although something may pop up to cause us to suffer (v. 10), we can rest in His care and provision.

As I drove down the steep ramp into the parking lot, anxiety swept over me. I’d been in this exact place before—and I’d gotten lost that time. But now, as I began to walk to the door near the elevator, a calm feeling filled my heart. I knew the way! I walked through the door and found the set of elevators I was seeking and soon was where I was supposed to be.

My experience in finding my way through the maze of that parking structure reminds me that getting lost can sometimes help us find our way. Because I got lost during my first visit, I recalled what had gone wrong and remembered the door that led to my destination.

There’s great joy in finding our way—something the “lost son” in today’s parable found to be true (Luke 15:24). “When he finally came to his senses” (v. 17 nlt), the wayward young man knew his way back home after having been lost in the world. He recognized all he had left behind and returned home where he received his father’s “love and compassion” (v. 20 nlt). The story says the father was overjoyed to receive his lost son and welcome him back, saying, “This son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found” (v. 24 nlt).

If we’re lost spiritually, let’s look for the familiar way home God has provided. He points us toward His loving light and to where we’re supposed to be.

My dear friend Sally wanted to give a birthday party for one of her friends. She knew her friend had been experiencing a tough time, and Sally desired to help lift her spirits. However, Sally was unemployed and didn’t have extra money to purchase food for a nice party. So, she looked in her refrigerator and cabinets to see what was available. She then created a nice spread consisting of many items she’d previously purchased and had in her home.

When Sally shared with me the creative menu she came up with, I thought about the story of Elijah and the widow (1 Kings 17:7-16). The widow didn’t have much. In fact, she told the prophet Elijah that she was preparing her final scraps of food for herself and her son “and [then] die” of starvation (v. 12). And she only had a small amount of flour and olive oil, just enough for their final meal.

But Elijah ensured the woman that her “jar of flour . . . the jug of oil [would] not run dry” until God sent rain again (v. 14). By trusting in what God revealed through Elijah—even though she didn’t think she had enough—the woman found that God provided what she needed even though her kitchen was barren.

Just like my friend, the widow found what she needed. Following their examples, let’s live generously and rest in God’s provision for us.

My  grandmother had a routine on Saturday nights. Before she went to bed, she laid out all her clothing including the shoes she planned to wear to church the next morning. She always attended the early service and wanted to be ready to get up and go the next morning without any delay. One Saturday night she was suddenly hospitalized. Later, Jesus called her name and she died. When my grandfather returned home from the hospital, he found her clothes laid out. She’d been prepared to go to church as well as to meet her God.

My grandmother’s ritual reminds me of the wisdom of the bridesmaids in the parable in Matthew 25. In the story, Christ tells His disciples to be ready for His coming: “Keep watch,” He said. No one knows “the day or the hour” He’ll return (v. 13), so it’s wise for us to be prepared. If we wait until the last minute to prepare, we could be like “the foolish ones” (v. 3). They ran out of oil because they hadn’t prepared well, and just after they left their posts to refill their lamps with oil, the bridegroom came.

We may not need to lay out our clothes like my grandmother, but her ritual demonstrated her desire to be ready for church as well as for her Savior. May we use her wisdom to be ready for the most important things in life, serving Jesus as He leads us and being ready for His return.

During a family reunion many years ago, my mother shared some words she’d written. She honored her grandmother, a woman I’d never met but had heard her spoken of often. Mom wrote that she recalled Mama Susan getting up “before dawn” and praying over her household. What a distinct memory that impacted my mother’s life—one I cling to even today although I never met my great-grandmother.

This description reminds me of the woman described in Proverbs 31. She cared for her family in many tangible ways, and she got up “while it [was] still night” (v. 15). She had plenty to do to care for her family, such as providing food, purchasing land, planting a vineyard, making profitable trades, sewing clothes, and finishing many other tasks—all in the name of caring for the ones she loved. And she even extended her resourcefulness to “the poor and . . . the needy” (v. 20).

Helping to care for a household during the time of the writing of Proverbs 31 was no easy feat, as demonstrated from the long list of duties described in this passage. And it wasn’t an easy feat for my great-grandmother, who was born in the 1800s. But prayers whispered early in the morning—as well as throughout the day—kept these women focused and encouraged as God helped them live out their calling to care for their family and others.

In the early 1900s, laws restricted Black people and immigrants in the US from renting or buying property in Coronado, California. A Black man named Gus Thompson (who’d been born into slavery) had purchased land earlier and built a boarding home in Coronado before the discriminating laws were passed. In 1939, Gus rented to an Asian family, and eventually sold the land to them. Nearly eighty-five years later, after selling the property, some members of the Asian family are donating their proceeds from the sale to help Black college students. They’re also working to name a center at San Diego State University after Gus and his wife, Emma.

Leviticus also speaks of what it means to treat others well. God instructed His people, “Help [the poor] as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you” (25:35). He instructed the people to treat each other well and fairly, especially those in need. Out of reverent “fear” (v. 36) for Him, they were to help those who’d fallen on hard times and weren’t able to take care of themselves. They were to treat them just as they would treat a “foreigner and stranger” (v. 35)—with hospitality and love.

Gus Thompson and his wife helped a family that didn’t look like them. In return, that family is blessing many other people. Let’s extend God’s compassion to those in need as He helps us reveal His love for them.

During the US civil rights movement, famed New Orleans cook Leah Chase did what she could. She prepared food and fed those who were marching for equal rights for all people. She said, “I was just feeding people. They were fighting for something, and they didn’t know what they would find when they went out there. They didn’t know what would happen to them on the streets. But when they were here, they knew I’d feed them. That’s what I could do for them.”

The gift of hospitality may sometimes be overlooked, but it can be just as important as other forms of serving others in Christ. A businesswoman named Lydia—”a dealer in purple cloth” (v. 14)—showed hospitality to Paul and the other preachers spreading the good news about Jesus to the people of Macedonia (Acts 16:11-14). She used what she had—her home—to help the traveling team. After accepting the gospel message, Lydia insisted on providing a place for the preachers to rest, saying “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, . . . come and stay at my house” (Acts 16:15). Much like the civil rights workers, Paul and his coworkers didn’t need to worry about a meal due to Lydia’s hospitality.

Gifts of hospitality can go a long way in helping all people—both fellow believers and those who still need Jesus. Let’s serve others as God provides what we need to help them.

When I entered my church after several months of quarantine, I was excited to see members I hadn’t seen in a while. I realized that some members, especially older ones, just wouldn’t be back—some due to safety reasons and others, unfortunately, because they’d passed from this life. So I was quite excited when I spotted an older couple coming into the sanctuary and taking their normal seat behind me. I waved at them both. The man returned my greeting, while his wife stared at me without even smiling. I was hurt and wondered why.

It was a few Sundays later that I observed the same woman (who hadn’t returned my greeting) being helped by a friend who was showing her when to stand or sit—acting as her caregiver. My old church friend was apparently very sick and hadn’t recognized me. I’m glad I didn’t approach her or even get upset when she didn’t return my enthusiastic greeting. 

Proverbs offers a lot of advice for living wisely, and not being easily offended is one of its gems. In fact, it says “sensible people . . . earn respect by overlooking wrongs” (19:11 nlt). Choosing not to get offended and learning to “control our temper” (v. 11 nlt) can bring us honor. It may require patience and “wisdom” (v. 8), but the rewards also are well-worth getting over ourselves and choosing to love others.