A Good Reason

Hello there, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading, titled A Good Reason, was written by John Blaise. The two women occupied the aisle seats across from each other. The flight was two hours, so I couldn't help but see some of their interactions. It was clear they knew each other, might even be related.

The younger of the two, probably in her 60s, kept reaching in her bag to hand the older, I'd guess in her 90s, fresh apple slices, then homemade finger sandwiches, and then a towelette for cleanup and finally a crisp copy of the New York Times. Each handoff was done with such tenderness, such dignity. As we stood to exit the plane, I told the younger woman, I noticed the way you cared for her.

It was beautiful. She replied, she's my best friend. She's my mother.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all say something like that? Some parents are like best friends. Some parents are nothing like that.

The truth is, those relationships are always complicated at best. While Paul's letter to Timothy doesn't ignore that complexity, it still calls us to put our religion into practice by taking care of parents and grandparents, our relatives, our own household. We all too often practice such care only if family members were or are good to us.

In other words, if they deserve it. But Paul offers up a more beautiful reason to repay them. Take care of them because this is pleasing to God. Now let's give our attention to the Word of God. This is today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading.

It's from 1 Timothy 5, verses 1 through 8. Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents. For this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.

But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives and especially for their own household has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Let's pray. Father in Heaven, we thank you for giving us family here on this earth to love, cherish and care for. Fill us with Christ-like love and compassion for one another and help us to care for those family members who are in need, deepening our relationships and building cherished memories that will live with us throughout our lives. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.