Showing Love to Those in Need
CHRISTIANS have both the obligation and the privilege to show love to their brothers and sisters in need. (1 John 3:17, 18) The apostle Paul wrote: “Let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.” (Galatians 6:10) A brother who has been serving Jehovah for almost four decades recently experienced the love of the Christian brotherhood during his wife’s illness and subsequent death. He writes:
“Since I cared for my wife at home during her illness, I was not able to work secularly for almost two months. How relieved I was when the friends in the congregation willingly came to our aid! Dozens of monetary gifts—‘to help with the extra expenses,’ as the accompanying cards would say—paid for the mortgage, utilities, and other expenses.
“Two weeks before my wife’s death, our circuit overseer paid us an encouraging visit. He even showed the slides that the congregation would see at the end of the week. We were able to listen to the meetings over the telephone—including the meetings for field service conducted by the circuit overseer. At one of these, he had all those present for field service say ‘hello,’ as a group, to my wife. Thus, even though she was isolated physically, she never felt alone.
“Within an hour after her death, almost all the elders were at my house. Over a hundred brothers and sisters stopped by on that day alone. Food ‘miraculously’ appeared on the table for all present. I can’t begin to recount all the gifts, expressions of sympathy, comforting words, and prayers that were offered in my behalf. How strengthening they were! I finally had to ask the brothers to stop providing meals and housecleaning assistance!
“Where else but in Jehovah’s organization can we find such unselfish expressions of compassion, concern, and love? Most people today can count on one hand the number of real friends they have. Jehovah has blessed us with a large extended family of spiritual brothers and sisters!”—Mark 10:29, 30.