And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” Matthew 25:40 NLT
With all the depressing news in the world, sometimes we just need a “feel good” story. Read on.
A California woman and her family turned a moment of personal heartbreak into an opportunity to give back to their community.
Just days before her wedding, 27-year-old Quinn Duane called her mom to deliver distressing news: The groom was having second thoughts about the nuptials, and the couple had broken up. Amid the shock and sadness, Quinn’s mom, Kari Duane, immediately “went into action mode,” wanting to help her daughter with the logistics of the sudden cancellation. Deposits for the $35,000 wedding reception had already been put down, Kari told BuzzFeed, and more bills would soon be arriving. She knew right away what had to be done.
“When I found out … that the wedding would not be taking place, it just seemed like, of course, this would be something that we would do to give back,” Kari told KCRA-TV. “I feel a lot of heartache and heartbreak for her, but I will take away something good from this.”
The family promptly leapt into action. They sent the non-refundable wedding flowers to a local nursing home, and reached out to homeless shelters in the Sacramento area to invite people to a lavish dinner. On Saturday, about 90 homeless men, women and children arrived at Sacramento’s Citizen Hotel to enjoy a feast, hosted by the Duane family. They had planned for 120 guests, so, Kari knew there would be plenty of food for everyone. The people who showed up got to eat a delicious meal of salmon, tri-tip, appetizers, salad, gnocchi, and cauliflower.
Though Quinn was too grieved to attend the dinner that would have been her wedding reception, her mom was there to greet the guests. The first person to arrive was a woman from a local shelter.
“I was thinking at that moment, if she’s the only person that comes tonight, this was worth it,” Kari said.
Kari told Buzzfeed she was “grateful” to be able to contribute to her community in this way. But she wasn’t the only person who was filled with gratitude on that special evening.
Rashad Abdullah brought his wife and their five children to the meal. “When you’re going through a hard time and a struggle, for you to get out to do something different and with your family, it was really a blessing,” he told KCRA. “To lose out on something so important to yourself and then give it to someone else is really giving, really kind,” said Erika Craycraft, who also attended the dinner with her husband and five children.”
When we hear a story like this, we often think of ourselves in the place of the ones receiving the blessing. But what about the ones giving the blessing? Jesus said, Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Think about the last time you encountered “one of the least of these.” What did you do? What will you do the next time?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, there is much that we don’t understand on this side of Heaven; why some go through life seemingly with ease and little trouble, and others seem to be born with trouble that never goes away. It is not for us to understand Your ways, for You are a God of mystery with greater purpose than we can comprehend, and yet, You have made clear to us through Scripture that which we are to understand. Some of the very trouble we seek to avoid is what brings us to faith and causes us to live a life that is honoring to You and purposeful to others. Keep our hearts sensitive and compassionate toward those who are undervalued by the world’s standards. When we put ourselves in their place, we identify with their struggles and feel the deep hurt they experience when looked down upon and rejected by others. May we be Your tender arm of compassion, Your gentle voice of acceptance and unconditional love. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Blessings,
Steve+
