While my mom was sick with cancer, I had several opportunities to drive her to many of her doctor’s appointments. One particular time she had just found out the cancer had come back after only a few months of remission. We as a family felt sad but were still confident since Mom had “beaten” cancer previously.
Mom always enjoyed taking the scenic route to her doctor’s appointments. While we were driving through a nice neighborhood of gigantic, beautiful homes on the river’s edge, we started talking about Heaven. She said, “Those homes are very nice and big, but my mansion in Heaven is going to be even bigger.” I was then bold enough to ask, “How do you feel about your cancer coming back?” She kindly replied, “I believe God wants me to pass out more Gospel tracts to others who are also getting treatments. If my cancer had never come back, how could I pass out tracts to those people?” While all I could think about was the “what ifs” that waited ahead for Mom, she was still thinking of others.
One Sunday morning while heading out the door to church, my youngest son held two Bibles. I did not think anything of it as we all got into the car. After arriving at church, he was still holding two Bibles as we exited our car to head inside. I considered telling him to leave one of the Bibles in the car. Then, he spoke up and told me that one of the little children in his class at church did not have a Bible, and he wanted him to use his extra Bible. I could not say no to that! I felt the tears of a proud mama welling up in my eyes. My little four-year-old boy was bringing an extra Bible to church, and no one told him to do so! He had a servant’s heart already at four years of age. He saw a need and wanted to meet that need. He was thinking of others.
A couple of Sundays ago, a special offering was collected for some needs at the church, and the children also were participating by having their own offering in their class. I did not know until afterward, but my youngest son had just received $5.00 for his birthday and decided to put it ALL into the special offering. Later on, I asked him what he wanted to buy with his birthday money. He said, “I put it in the offering at church.” He had tucked it into his Bible and had put it in the offering plate. Once again, he was not asked to do this. It was his birthday money, but he was thinking of others.
Philippians 2:3-5 says, …but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Matthew 16:24 says, Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
As we go through our Christian lives, may we live for others because it is only then that we are really living for Jesus!
OTHERS
LORD, help me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for—OTHERS.
Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true
And know that all I’d do for you,
Must needs be done for—OTHERS.
Let “Self” be crucified and slain,
And buried deep; and all in vain
May efforts be to rise again,
Unless to live for—OTHERS.
And when my work on earth is done,
And my new work in Heaven’s begun,
May I forget the crown I’ve won,
While thinking still of—OTHERS.
Others, Lord, yes, others.
Let this my motto be,
Help me to live for others,
That I may live like Thee.
– Charles D. Meigs
by Mandy Harper
