“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” – Luke 6:38
Louie has been our neighbor for over fifty years, and the love of God has been shining out of his life since we have known him. At ninety-one years of age, he has outlived two wives. My husband goes over every morning except Sunday, and has coffee with him and visits for an hour. We have never heard Louie speak a critical word about anyone.
Louie was a blacksmith for about forty years. Though bent in body, his shoulders and arms are still strong, and though his eyesight and hearing are nearly gone, he still works daily in his shop, building a steam engine. Through his working years, Louie was always busy with a backlog of welding or cutting or patching. However, he was never too busy to help anyone who called on him, from our children with a broken tricycle to a breakdown in the community water system.
Then he got “old.” That was when we really saw that his “neighbors” covered the county! Anywhere Louie went, he found friends he had known for years. Someone is at his home every day, either to take him grocery shopping or to take him to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. People bring him homemade cookies and pies and freshly made soups, which he loves. If he needs a tool or a part to patch something, there is a neighbor ready to take him to the steel or parts place. When a thief broke into his shop and stole all his good tools, friends replaced them all within two weeks. When he needed eye surgery, one of his friends told him of his success with a certain procedure, then arranged for several trips to the doctor an hour away.
Louie counted it a blessing to help a neighbor. Now, he is living proof of the truth in today’s focus verse. His needs are few, but he will never lack. He gave and gave and gave, and now it is his turn to receive. His friends and neighbors are standing ready to give back in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
May we learn from his good example, and find a way to give a little more today.