Respect
honor
take responsibility
Provide for your own family
Kindness begins at home.
Paul truly holds us accountable for how we care for our widow's. Especially, those in our own family. Notice how we are to be the guver and not the taker when we serve a widow.
But Paul also gives widows a few things to think about as well.
Widows must be known for...
Putting hope in God
Praying/talking to God all the time
Having taken care of husband
Raising her children
Hospitality
Encouraging others
Comforting troubled people
Serving in kindness
It is okay to marry again. This is important to know especially for younger widows.
In both the serving of a widow or a widow in her grief, we are called to a steadfast, reliable, trustworthy, loyal, faithful walk that reveals Christlike integrity.
Honestly, these lists can feel daunting. Especially, if you are the one in grief or the caretaker of someone in grief. I know from our experience with Papa passing, we had to give each other permission to be real and raw in our pain. This list is not a call to perfection as much as it is a reminder to not forget who we are or who we belong to.
If we remember, we are children of God, called to die to self, and serve one another, it gives us a purpose in our grief.
When I love on my mom in her grief, I am loving on Jesus as well. When my mom makes crochet gifts for others or grabs the hand of someone to cause them to stop so she can pray for them it is her way of loving on Jesus. It gives her hope and healing.
If we take the heart of the message then it makes a way for the widow to move forward in hope, purpose, and healing.
I would love to hear from any widows
About what you have learned in this season. Please contact me to help me so I am better equipped to love on those I will get to serve.
