Sunday, October 17

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
—Matthew 25:40

When I lived in Westchester County, New York, I watched as homelessness began. It was quite amazing: one day there wasn’t homelessness, and it seemed like just the next day it was part of our lives.

God is much wiser than all of us put together. He seems able to bring good out of the worst of things.

Over the past twenty-five years, countless thousands of residents in Westchester County have reached out to feed, shelter, comfort, and in many other ways ease the pain of the homeless population. These loving souls discovered that there is a nurturing fullness that comes to us when we serve those who are in pain or in a very bad place in their lives. They helped those in need and in so doing transformed themselves.

God loves all of us very much. All of us. When we reach out to someone who is hurting, there is something about that which is connected to God and to divine energy. Instead of finding ourselves run down by helping others, we find that we are built up, somehow, in spirit. 

This has little to do with whether we achieve great things or small; it doesn’t even depend on whether the object of our ministrations thanks us. It is just in the nature of things that when we truly feel someone else’s pain, we are the better for it. God is at work in us.

God, we need your love and power in our lives. Open our eyes, our hearts and our hands to the needs of those around us. Amen.

These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2006.