I have been sharing #joyfulwcw (Joyful Woman Crush Wednesday) on my social media in recent weeks to highlight the lovely, generous ways that sisters in Christ are encouraging and serving one another. I hope you’ll join me on your social media and share your #joyfulwcw, too!
One of the things that has stuck out to me, in a good way, about Covid-19 is that people are really stretching out to help each other. An author friend told me yesterday that someone anonymously gifted her family a grocery store gift card to help them bridge the gap between their family’s needs and the anticipated arrivals of stimulus and unemployment checks. Another friend has been accepting donations in exchange for handcrafted face masks and using the donations to bless friends in need with gift cards.
When I met on Zoom with my Bible study group this week, we read about the widow in Mark’s Gospel who “gave from her poverty” (Mk 12:44). Generosity is one of those attributes that just shines from others. Maybe that’s why Jesus noticed the widow’s mere two cents from the opposite side of the treasury.
I wonder if that widow would have considered herself to be poor?
Thinking on this theme of generosity, I want to share my #JoyfulWCW with you. Her name is Brenda, and she is a pray warrior. With Brenda’s permission, I share that two years ago, she went to the doctor for a routine mammogram was stunned to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Brenda endured a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and a reconstructive process that took over a year because her insurance would not approve the surgery. Throughout the entire process, whenever I called Brenda, I would say, “How are you?” and she would respond, “I am blessed!” From there we’d chat on for hours.
When Brenda reported to the hospital each week for her chemo infusions, she packed rosary making supplies with her and crafted rosaries for dozens of people while praying her way through treatment. By the end of her chemo, Brenda gifted each woman in our ministry group a rosary. I tuck this rosary in my pocket and pray it often while walking in the woods.
Brenda, I’m glad to report, is cancer-free and restored to health! I thought of Brenda this week as a woman who gave during her poverty of health. At a time when she could have curled into herself, she shared her spiritual wealth with all who surrounded her. Two years later, she still inspires me, and I continue to prosper from the simple threaded rosary that she gifted me.
Who has served you generously either during the Covid-19 days or before? Make that person your #joyfulwcw. You don’t have to name them publicly, but consider sharing the story or let that person know how much they blessed you.