This speech was originally given at the Portsmouth United Methodist Church by me on March 26, 2011 as part of our church's Faith in Action series. I give a speech every month about practical ways you can share your faith with others. If you ever have a suggestion, please let me know in the comments!
A few weeks ago my older sister, who lives in California posted a link on her Facebook page. My sister has been a professional belly dancer for over 10 years now. The link she posted wasn't her usual information about upcoming dance classes or hand-made costumes for sale. It was a collection of photos of a burned-out apartment. The photos were striking. Most of them looked as though they'd been shot in black and white due to the amount of smoke and soot damage the apartment sustained. One of the most memorable photos, for me, was of a child's bedroom. The only recognizable thing in the photo was a charred changing table standing alone in the middle of the room.
The woman who lived in the apartment was a friend of my sisters. Actually, to say she was a friend is probably an understatement. I've never met the woman, but I know that she has had a profound impact on my sister's life. She was a driving force behind my sister becoming a professional belly dancer and instructor and throughout the years, my sister has mentioned this dance teacher many times, always with reverence and awe. She had influence in my sister's life far greater than I can imagine. So seeing those photos and knowing that they had impacted my sister gave me pause. But it was seeing that photo of that baby's changing table that brought tears to my eyes.
God was watching that family on the night of their fire. I never heard the full details, but I know that everyone involved escaped physical harm. From what I understand, the family was getting ready for a blessing, reading the Koran and smelled smoke or heard a fire alarm. They got out in time, but subsequently lost practically everything. Like me, she has a little boy and I couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been to see all her baby's belongings destroyed. I thought about what it must be like to have to care for that baby while trying to rebuild a life around him.
So, I did the only thing I could think of to help: I sent a box of clothes to her.
Now, just as an aside, I have to thank my lucky stars that I have the smart husband I do because otherwise I would have sent the boy a shirt with a fire truck on it. That's probably not what the mother was in the mood to see. Along with the clothing, I sent a short hand-written note telling her that my prayers would be with her and her family.
When Pastor asked me to start a monthly series about ways to share your faith and speak to the congregation, I was nervous about accepting. Pastor had no way of knowing, but a few days earlier I had been having one of those conversations with God where you ask Him what He wants you to do with your faith. I always dread asking those sorts of questions because most of the time, He answers pretty quickly and sometimes it isn't what I want to hear. But I knew that Pastor approaching me was part of the answer I'd been asking for and so I accepted whole-heartedly. Sharing your faith isn't always easy and it isn't always obvious. It can be something as small as sending a box of clothes (without a fire-truck shirt) to a stranger who's lost everything. Or it can be something bigger. My hope is that over the next few months, I help you explore ways to share your own faith so that you can grow in God and perhaps help others to do the same.
The woman who lived in the apartment was a friend of my sisters. Actually, to say she was a friend is probably an understatement. I've never met the woman, but I know that she has had a profound impact on my sister's life. She was a driving force behind my sister becoming a professional belly dancer and instructor and throughout the years, my sister has mentioned this dance teacher many times, always with reverence and awe. She had influence in my sister's life far greater than I can imagine. So seeing those photos and knowing that they had impacted my sister gave me pause. But it was seeing that photo of that baby's changing table that brought tears to my eyes.
God was watching that family on the night of their fire. I never heard the full details, but I know that everyone involved escaped physical harm. From what I understand, the family was getting ready for a blessing, reading the Koran and smelled smoke or heard a fire alarm. They got out in time, but subsequently lost practically everything. Like me, she has a little boy and I couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been to see all her baby's belongings destroyed. I thought about what it must be like to have to care for that baby while trying to rebuild a life around him.
So, I did the only thing I could think of to help: I sent a box of clothes to her.
Now, just as an aside, I have to thank my lucky stars that I have the smart husband I do because otherwise I would have sent the boy a shirt with a fire truck on it. That's probably not what the mother was in the mood to see. Along with the clothing, I sent a short hand-written note telling her that my prayers would be with her and her family.
When Pastor asked me to start a monthly series about ways to share your faith and speak to the congregation, I was nervous about accepting. Pastor had no way of knowing, but a few days earlier I had been having one of those conversations with God where you ask Him what He wants you to do with your faith. I always dread asking those sorts of questions because most of the time, He answers pretty quickly and sometimes it isn't what I want to hear. But I knew that Pastor approaching me was part of the answer I'd been asking for and so I accepted whole-heartedly. Sharing your faith isn't always easy and it isn't always obvious. It can be something as small as sending a box of clothes (without a fire-truck shirt) to a stranger who's lost everything. Or it can be something bigger. My hope is that over the next few months, I help you explore ways to share your own faith so that you can grow in God and perhaps help others to do the same.
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