Guest Post by Author C.A. Simonson
“Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” (I Peter 4:9)
“As you’ve done it for the least of these, you have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)
As a good Christian woman, Martie desired to be hospitable as I Peter 4:9 states. But the challenge one summer was more than she anticipated.
She had agreed to feed lunch to the teenagers who came to help with summer puppet ministry each week. Only once a week. How hard could it be? Working full time, Martie forgot how short an hour’s lunch could be. She forgot to count prep time or cleanup.
At first, only a few teens came. They raved about Martie’s cooking. Word spread. Free lunch at Martie’s. The group grew. Sometimes five, sometimes fifteen. There was always enough, but she never knew how many would come. She just had to be ready.
Instead of being pleased, she grumbled. Lord, I’m feeding a troop on my own dime. I want to serve You, not a bunch of kids.
“Thanks, you’re the best!” Linda gave Martie a quick hug on her way out the door.
Martie forced a smile and reluctantly returned the hug as Linda snuggled in.
Then a strange thing happened. Martie heard an inaudible Voice: “You just gave Me a hug.” Linda’s smile had said it all. Linda was a motherless teen who probably wouldn’t have eaten that day except for the meal Martie fed her.
It took Martie aback. She had been missing God’s blessing all the while because she couldn’t see that she was serving Jesus with every meal. So she determined for the rest of the summer, she would minister in Jesus’s name. In the end, she was more blessed than the teens!
PRAYER: Lord, when I get too busy, I forget that I serve You. Help me bring glory to You in everything I do. AMEN.
A devotion from God Help Me, an interactive devotional journal.
C.A. (Candy) Simonson is a freelance writer and novelist. She began writing nonfiction articles in the 1980s with almost 800 articles published in multiple national or online magazines. Her award-winning stories are in seven anthologies, including Chicken Soup for the Soul. Her debut young adult novel, Love’s Journey Home, published in 2013 was followed by seven Christian YA novels and five nonfiction books. As a former IT computer trainer/teacher, she enjoys assisting other authors with book formatting, self-publishing, cover design, and sharing her technical and writing knowledge with writers’ groups. She serves the Springfield Writers’ Guild Board as the 2024 President and SWG webmaster.
See more at CASIMONSON.COM