What will people hold up at your funeral?
It sounds like a strange question. But for Tabitha, it’s the whole story.
Tabitha lived in the seaside town of Joppa. The Bible doesn’t tell us she preached great sermons or performed miracles. It just says “she was always doing good and helping the poor.”
Then Tabitha got sick and died.
The believers in Joppa sent for the apostle Peter. When he arrived, he was taken upstairs to the room where her body lay. And the room was full of widows, crying and holding up the robes and other clothing Tabitha had made for them.
Think about that. No speeches. No eulogies. Just a room full of grieving women, each holding up a piece of Tabitha’s kindness.
Peter sent everyone out of the room. He got down on his knees and prayed. Then he turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.”
And she opened her eyes and sat up.
The news spread all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.
So, what is kindness? Kindness is love with a needle and thread. It’s ordinary, practical, everyday help, given to people who can’t pay you back.
And here’s the thing about kindness. It leaves evidence behind. Long after you’ve forgotten the casserole you dropped off or the coat you gave away, someone else will remember. They might even hold it up.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank-you for Your kindness to me, every single day. Thank-you for giving me the kindness of Tabitha, so that I will always be doing good and helping others. Thank-you for letting my life leave evidence of Your love. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Wikipedia: Dorcas, Saint Peter, Jaffa
Look-It Up:
Tabitha’s story is told in Acts 9:36-42.
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.
All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Free Bonus:
Tabitha (Aramaic) and Dorcas (Greek) both mean “gazelle.”
Inspired by her story, many churches formed “Dorcas Societies,” groups of women who sewed clothing for the poor.
Joppa, today’s Jaffa, is the same port where Jonah once bought a ticket going the wrong way (see Pray 4 Second Chances).