The Least Of These

Shortly after my husband and I began dating, his roommate was hospitalized for a short period of time. One night a group of people from school made a trip up to the hospital to visit his roommate and take him communion. Since Travis and I had just begun dating, I really didn’t know any of his friends and was very nervous about the trip. Once at the hospital, I could tell my presence there was not only a surprise but also very uncomfortable for both his friends and his roommate. I felt very much out of place and just as I began wishing that I hadn’t come, Travis’ friend Novita pulled me aside and began making conversation then stuck by my side for the rest of the visit. Her gesture may seem small to many but to me it meant a lot

This past weekend at my friend’s wedding, I found myself in a similar situation and after my friend left for her honeymoon I found myself in a room full of people I didn’t know with only a handful of people I knew from school. As I packed up all of my gear to head home, Novita and her new husband came over to me and invited me to come hang out with a group of people from school and spend some time catching up. I could tell my presence there was awkward at first but everyone was really nice and receptive and I ended up having a really great time.

That night I thought a lot about the day and even more about Novita and the kindness that she had shown me over the years. The first time she reached out to me meant so much to me but the fact that she did it again, almost 7 years later spoke volumes to me about her and the kind of person that she is and made me think a lot about the person that I am. Am I the kind of person who can see outside of herself and realize the needs of those around me or am I too self-involved to even see other people?

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

Your thoughts?