Episode 107 – The Beauty of Acts of Service. Learning from Dorcas

Speaker 1 (00:01):

Welcome to a podcast designed to bring biblical encouragement to your weary soul. We are so glad you’re listening and we pray God blesses you and strengthens you in your walk with him. The Sweet Selah Moments Podcast is brought to you by the cooperative efforts of Sweet Selah Ministries and Word Radio. Sit back and enjoy.

Nicole (00:29):

Welcome to the Sweet Selah Moments Podcast. This is episode 107, The Beauty of Acts of Service, Learning from Dorcas. We’ve spent Season 7 exploring the nine listed fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Let’s read that passage one more time as we turn to people in the New Testament who lived out this fruit in their real lives. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things.” Sharon, do you have any last thoughts to share on our study of the fruit before we move on to look at New Testament people?

Sharon (01:12):

Well, I really loved diving deep into each fruit, Nicole. I found it harder than I thought to define each fruit, and then to look at how to live out that calling to exhibit each fruit in our daily lives. (Nicole: Mm-hmm) So it was challenging. (Yeah). But rewarding. It really was. I think, I think just reciting the list of the nine helps me remember how I’m supposed to treat people in my daily dealings with them. If I can just filter my words through love, joy, peace (Makes, a huge difference) I think it makes a difference. (Yeah) And each one, I think over and over we realized was impossible, ironically.

Nicole (01:46):

Yes.

Sharon (01:47):

So they’re all impossible without God’s help.

Nicole (01:51):

Exactly.

Sharon (01:51):

So that was good for me to remember too that I’ve gotta constantly be going to him. Give me love, joy, peace, patience in my interaction with this person, you know?

Nicole (02:02):

Right.

Sharon (02:03):

So, practically that’s what I’ve learned from it. How about you? Any last thoughts?

Nicole (02:07):

Yeah, pretty much kind of the same thing. I’ve also really enjoyed, you know, talking through how to apply them, you know, and they can seem pretty easy on the surface, but as we go to live them out, I’m quickly reminded of how much I need to walk in the Spirit, asking him to guide my actions and words to really have those fruits grow nice and plump, you know?

Sharon (02:26):

Yes. Yes. We want plump fruit.

Nicole (02:27):

We do.

Sharon (02:28):

Not skinny fruit.

Nicole (02:28):

We do. And then the relief of knowing that it’s not me that makes the fruit, because I run out of love and patience pretty quick in the morning.

Sharon (02:36):

Oh, me too.

Nicole (02:37):

Startlingly fast. So just that reminder that these are impossible without God. So God, I need you. You can make these fruits grow.

Sharon (02:44):

Yes.

Nicole (02:44):

So that was encouraging as well.

Sharon (02:45):

It was. It was. Yeah.

Nicole (02:45):

Really good.

Sharon (02:45):

Well, as we finish out the season, we’re gonna look at three awesome New Testament people. And they’re not the big deal guys, you know? (Nicole: Yeah) They’re smaller people in the, the New Testament that are really important. Dorcas, Stephen, and Barnabas. I love the three of them. (Yeah) I wanted to ponder how the fruit of the Spirit exhibited in the real lives of people in the early church. And we did talk about Dorcas earlier in our episode on the Fruit of Kindness. So we already know that Dorcus has kindness in her, displayed beautifully in her life. However, it’s kind of a package deal, this fruit. It’s not like the gifts where none of us have all the gifts.

Nicole (03:25):

Oh, right.

Sharon (03:25):

You know? Right. But with fruit, we have all the fruit.

Nicole (03:29):

Right.

Sharon (03:30):

Isn’t that interesting?

Nicole (03:31):

That is cool.

Sharon (03:31):

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Like with a gift. I have the gift of public speaking. Dorcas had the gift of helps. (Nicole: Right) You know, she probably didn’t speak in public and I don’t sew. Right? So, but God gives us all nine. It’s fruit, not fruits. (Yeah) You know, we have all that fruit. So I think it’s gonna be fun looking at Dorcas again with not just kindness in mind, the fruit I assigned her last time, but all of them. But let’s start by reading the story once again.

Nicole (03:59):

All right. So I’m gonna be reading the Dorcas story. She’s also called Tabitha at times, but we will refer to her as Dorcas in this podcast. So I’m reading Acts 9:36-42. “So there was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby at Lydda. So they sent two men to beg him, please come as soon as possible. So Peter returned with them, and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. So Peter asked them to all leave the room. Then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, Get up, Tabitha. And she opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the widows and all the believers, and he presented her to them alive. The news spread through the whole town, and many believed in the Lord.”

Sharon (05:06):

I love this story so much.

Nicole (05:07):

It’s such a fun one.

Sharon (05:07):

It really is. It’s reminiscent of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter, taking the hand, presenting her to everybody again. So sweet.

Nicole (05:17):

It’s so wild.

Sharon (05:18):

Do you know what? If Dorcus hadn’t have died (Nicole: Yeah) you know, prematurely, we probably never would’ve heard of her. There’s a ton of Dorcases running around making clothes for people that you never hear of. (Right) It wasn’t like she was announcing her kindness all over town. She was just quietly taking care of the people that needed clothes.

Nicole (05:37):

That’s right. Yeah. She was just sitting quietly sewing and doing good. You know, I think it was her death and all the grieving from it that brought her to the attention of Peter. God must have wanted us to know about her.

Sharon (05:48):

I am sure he did. Yeah. I love that she’s highlighted because she’s not, showy, you know?

Nicole (05:55):

Yes.

Sharon (05:55):

In terms of the gifts, not the fruit. You know, her gift is a quiet, behind the scenes gift. But God shined a spotlight on her by allowing that death and then bringing her back. (Nicole: Yeah) I think it’s beautiful. Yeah.

Nicole (06:08):

That is pretty cool.

Sharon (06:09):

Well, we need to celebrate this quiet saint. So here we are. We’re gonna, we’re gonna list the nine Fruit of the spirit and talk about how we see Dorcas exhibiting all the fruit, you know, all nine character traits as best we can. And I’ll go first.

Nicole (06:24):

All right.

Sharon (06:25):

So the very first fruit is love. (Nicole: Mm-hmm) And of course, Dorcas showed love. I’ve been, this is my year to study agape love. We’ve talked about this before. And agape is the word that is hardly ever used outside of Christian references because it’s that abnormal a love. (Nicole: Mm-hmm) It’s not, I love you because you loved me. (Right) It’s not, I love you because of what you do for me. (Right) It’s not, I love you because I’m in a good mood today. I love everyone. Right? (Right) It’s sacrificial. (Yeah) It’s, it’s the love that is willing to hurt ourselves for the good of another love. Man. It’s a hard love. But, Dorcas’s way she lived, noticing the poor sewing, sewing, sewing, making, garment, garment, garment. I mean, it wasn’t like the widows were showing one garment she made. (Right) It was like, she made me this, she made me this. (Whole outfits) She took care of that. I know. Yeah. Maybe for the kids too. Who knows? She probably had limited resources. Well, of course she had, we all have limited resources.

Nicole (07:30):

Yes, exactly.

Sharon (07:30):

Right? And I mean, maybe her fingers hurt sometimes from the sewing, or maybe her eyes got strained. But she noticed and she sacrificed. She had the kind of love where she’s helping the poor. It’s not like they’re giving back. (Nicole: Right) In terms of, you know, and now I’ll pay you or something. (Right) They gave her back in gratitude, but that’s it. So yes,, in conclusion on this one, Dorcas definitely showed love.

Nicole (07:58):

She did. Oh, Dorcas. (Sharon: Yeah) So I’m gonna talk about how she showed joy. And I found a verse in Psalms, 40:8. It says, I take joy in doing your will my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.

Sharon (08:13):

That’s the perfect verse for her.

Nicole (08:14):

That’s so good for her. Because she didn’t, I mean, as far as we see from the text, she didn’t complain because no one was like, well, I got this coat from her but she was kind of, you know, a little grudgingly, you know, whatever, like her leftover coats, they were crying and showing with pride, like all the beautiful things she had made. (Sharon: Yeah) So there was joy in her work, I think, you know, and it can be heartbreaking to serve and minister to the poor and the needy, and to hear from the widows of their heartbreak that could really,

Sharon (08:39):

Really weigh you down.

Nicole (08:41):

Yeah. For sure. (Sharon: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm) And hearing how she continually served so many, it seems like she found joy in serving for sure. You know, it’s, (Yes) the joy of the Lord gave her strength, I think. (Yes) And she just kept on serving (Uhhuh) and found that joy. I think that’s, that’s really sweet.

Sharon (08:55):

I love it. I feel like they wouldn’t have been so sad about her death if she hadn’t been a joyful woman. Yeah.

Nicole (09:00):

Yeah. I agree.

Sharon (09:01):

Oh, that’s nice. I love that. Hmm. So love, joy, peace. Well, it’s not mentioned that she’s peaceful necessarily, but, I’m thinking of 1 Corinthians 13:3 you know, the beginning of 1 Corinthians where it says, if I, you know, had the gift of tongues and of angels, but didn’t love. (Nicole: Yes) Well, verse three says, if I gave everything I had to the poor, but I didn’t love others, I would’ve gained nothing. You know, and here’s Dorcas giving things to the poor. (Right) Well, if she didn’t have peace, she would’ve had nothing too, because people that feel obligated, they have a different way of giving. Kind of like that joy thing, the widows wouldn’t have been so sad she died if she was like, I spent half the night working on this for you. And don’t wear it out because I do not have time to make you another one.

Nicole (09:56):

Right. I am out of material. My fingers are bleeding.

Sharon (09:58):

That’s right. That’s right. Do you see these fingers? I have worked myself to the bone for you.

Nicole (10:03):

Right.

Sharon (10:03):

And then your child goes and rips out the knees of the trousers I just made for them. Do you know how busy I am? Do you know how many how poor people there are, you know, there is that kind of person. (Nicole: Yeah) Right? (Yep) Who is like that? Who’s just so bothered by what they’re doing that there’s no joy or peace in it.

Nicole (10:20):

Right. Because the peace comes from giving and trusting God that he’s gonna take care of your needs too.

Sharon (10:25):

Right. So I think the evidence of her joy, which you just talked about, and her peace was the response of the widows to her death.

Nicole (10:33):

Yes. No one said, oh, Paul bring back that grumpy lady who made these coats for us.

Sharon (10:38):

Exactly so. They loved her because they felt loved by her.

Nicole (10:43):

Yes. That was so good.

Sharon (10:45):

So I believe there was peace.

Nicole (10:46):

Oh, I love that.

Sharon (10:47):

Yes. There we go.

Nicole (10:48):

There we go. There was peace. I like it. So patience. Well,, sewing takes patience.

Sharon (10:55):

Yes it does. And you know that better than I. Cause you sew more than I do.

Nicole (10:59):

Yes. Sewing takes a lot of patience. I mess up a lot. So I rip things out and start again. Sewing takes patience. Dealing with people and loving on them takes patience.

Sharon (11:08):

That is true.

Nicole (11:08):

Seeking out people to serve and to be kind to takes patience. And she did all that well. Again, we don’t see her complaining. So I think that’s so sweet. And then I found a verse that I thought was good to go with patience. It says in Ecclesiastes 7:8, “Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.”

Sharon (11:26):

Finishing is better than starting. Yeah. She didn’t just start garments, did she?

Nicole (11:31):

No, they had full coats. It wasn’t a half coat or a half skirt.

Sharon (11:34):

No, no.

Nicole (11:34):

And she didn’t seem to have a lot of pride cause it doesn’t say, we didn’t see, we don’t see her boasting here. And people weren’t complaining that she didn’t finish the things she said she would do. So she seemed to be a truly patient woman you know?

Sharon (11:45):

She did.

Nicole (11:46):

Very sweet.

Sharon (11:46):

I think I’d really have liked her.

Nicole (11:48):

I think so. I’d have liked one of her coats.

Sharon (11:51):

Well we’ve done love, joy, peace, patience on to kindness. Which we already did an entire episode where we talked about Dorcas being kind, kindness costs – in sewing, it costs in time, it costs in money. You know, all those things. You know, my sister’s church has adopted a family from Afghanistan that had to flee.

Nicole (12:12):

Oh. Oh wow.

Sharon (12:13):

And they demonstrated kindness with them. They, first of all, there was the kindness of wanting to do it. (Nicole: Yeah) Right? (Oh yeah) And it took sacrifice for that because they had to fill out like 30 pages of paperwork. (Oh my goodness) That had to promise all these things that they would you know, take care of this family for a year at least on full support and then half support. (Wow) And watching that family flourish in America, learn English. My sister herself is the one that teaches the wife English.

Nicole (12:43):

Oh my goodness.

Sharon (12:43):

The husband knew it cause that’s why he had to be removed from Afghanistan cause he was a translator for (Nicole: Wow) our people. Which meant that when the Taliban took over, he was a persona non grata over there. (Wow) And I’m like, that is kindness in action that cost. (Yes) Right? (Yeah) Yes. And so Dorcas did the kindness that cost. She could have done other things with her time (Mm-hmm) then spend it slaving for other people. (It’s true, yeah) Basically. But she showed that kind of kindness. (Oh) And I love that. And it makes me wanna be kinder.

Nicole (13:17):

Yeah. The kindness that costs. I’m good at quick little kindnesses that don’t inconvenience me too much. (Sharon: Uhhuh. Right) But the kindness that costs, that’s, that’s (Yeah) tough.

Sharon (13:25):

That is.

Nicole (13:26):

I’m gonna sit with that one for a while. So now we’re onto goodness. Um, I feel like this one kind of ties in a bit with patience, cause I think of one of my favorite verses in Galatians, “do not get tired of doing good cause at just the right time we’ll reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up”.

Sharon (13:44):

Oh, that’s a good verse.

Nicole (13:45):

And I think of Dorcas, sewing away, doing those kindnesses, helping the poor. And she did reap quite a harvest. You know, she was so loved, she was so loved they asked her to be brought back from the, well, I don’t know if they asked her to be brought back from the dead, but she was so loved that she got to be brought back from the dead.

Sharon (14:00):

Yes. Yes. She’s one of the few that got to kind of hear, you know how people say nice things when you’re dead?

Nicole (14:07):

Yes. That’s what I was saying. Like she got to know how loved she was.

Sharon (14:10):

Yes.

Nicole (14:10):

What a gift that quiet, gentle woman sewing away. (Sharon: Yes) Sometimes you don’t see the fruit of your labor. (Right) Especially if you are in a quieter, more serving role. (Mm-hmm) So to the fact that she was able to be brought back from the dead and so many people came to know about Christ because of her story. (Yes) And all those she ministered to that loved her, were able to tell her that. Like, oh, we missed you so much. Like (Exactly) What a neat harvest for her, you know?

Sharon (14:36):

I can’t even imagine being brought back to life to a room full of people who loved you and are like, we’re so glad you’re back. She might have been like, wow, you brought me back. Yay.

Nicole (14:47):

It was kinda nice where I was. I know. I was thinking that when I read that. Like, was she happy to be back?

Sharon (14:52):

I know it.

Nicole (14:53):

How much of heaven did she see? Was she like, oh no!

Sharon (14:56):

Yes, how many more clothes did she have to sew?

Nicole (14:58):

Right.

Sharon (14:58):

And then there’s this little fear of like living up to your reputation because she had a really good one.

Nicole (15:04):

Right. Oh, that’s funny. And then becoming a woman of note—, you know. (Sharon: Yeah)Oh. You were dead and now you’re alive. (Yes) It’s quite interesting to think about what her life coming back to would’ve been.

Sharon (15:12):

Oh my goodness. And she was such a quiet, unassuming woman we believe, so it must have been a little overwhelming for her.

Nicole (15:18):

Oh sure. If she’s used to quieter. (Sharon: Yeah) But, oh man. (That’s so sweet) But I feel, I feel this so deeply in motherhood, you know, the daily exhausting things. The words of wisdom and guidance that you keep saying that you kind of get tired of saying (Yes) and then I see that verse on my fridge to keep on going.

Sharon (15:34):

Keep going. Don’t give up.

Nicole (15:36):

Yeah. The seeds are planted and they may be growing. I just don’t see those cute little green sprouts yet. But they are growing.

Sharon (15:41):

Yes, they are. They are. There are roots down there. Even if they haven’t broken the surface.

Nicole (15:46):

Yes.

Sharon (15:49):

Oh, that’s good. Goodness was good. Well, the next one is faithfulness. And that takes perseverance and time. She didn’t just make the one garment, the widows were showing multiple items that she sewed for them. It had to be ongoing. That’s faithfulness. Doing it in season and out of season. I’m working on Gabriel, my oldest grandson’s new, big Afghan to fit his bed. (Nicole: Oh yes) And I’m in the boring middle, you know. (Yeah) He wanted hunter green so I had to find yarn that had hunter green, you know, patterns. (Yeah) And then he wanted, orange, hunter orange. So I have orange stripes on the sides where it was gonna go over his bed. Yeah. But the whole top of it is just hunter green. (Green) And it’s big because his dad is over six feet tall and Gabriel’s as tall as his mother now. So I know he’s gonna be big and I want it to be, you know, a man’s size, you know?

Nicole (16:45):

Right.

Sharon (16:45):

So, so, okay. I have to be faithful to keep going with this thing. And the boring hunter green right now. So faithfulness is finishing. And so I’m identifying a little bit, not that I sew, with Dorcas who did that, who just kept going and finished garment after garment after garment. Because there’s never an end to poor people. And she’d see somebody in need and she’d say, what can I do? And what she could do was sew. So that’s what she would do again. (Nicole: Yeah) Faithful, faithful woman (Oh, I like that) to her calling. Yeah.

Nicole (17:23):

Yeah, that’s good.

Sharon (17:23):

So nice.

Nicole (17:24):

It’s so fun to start a project. I always have so much energy at the beginning of a project. Finishing is a lot more hard.

Sharon (17:29):

Yes it is. Yes it is. That’s where I am in the messy middle of Gabriel’s afghan. And he is returning to the United States. It has to be done by August.

Nicole (17:37):

Oh, so you have a deadline.

Sharon (17:38):

I have deadline.

Nicole (17:38):

Deadlines are helpful, but a little terrifying. (Sharon: Yeah. Yeah) That’s fun. So now we’re on to gentleness. So I found a verse in 1 Peter 3:4 that says, “You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfolding beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to you”. Oh, Dorcas, I bet you had a wonderful inner beauty

Sharon (18:00):

Yes.

Nicole (18:00):

And they can see it in the love of those around her (Sharon: Mm-hmm) so clearly. (Mm-hmm) I just love that. You know, to bless the widows and make clothes for them. There’s a gentleness needed to care for the brokenhearted and for those that have less. (Yes). You know, there’s a tender heart, you know, that’s really needed to really see the needs of others.

Sharon (18:16):

That’s so true. That’s so true. We can miss it in our busy self preoccupations. Right?

Nicole (18:23):

Oh yeah. The tyranny of the urgent. You just kind of keep going. But she had tenderness and a gentleness to see the needs of the lesser people.

Sharon (18:29):

Right. And then to meet them.

Nicole (18:30):

Yes.

Sharon (18:32):

In a gentle way. (Nicole: Yes) In a gentle way. Here I sewed this.

Nicole (18:35):

Well it was a quiet way, it wasn’t a way that, she wasn’t helping them for the sake of glorifying herself (Sharon: No) but it was for actually like, what do you need? You need clothes.

Sharon (18:42):

She was very practical. Yeah, yeah.

Nicole (18:44):

I’ll make you clothes.

Sharon (18:45):

Yeah. What a gentle witness? (Nicole: Yeah) And look at what happened. The whole town came to hear about it.

Nicole (18:51):

I know. So fun.

Sharon (18:52):

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Okay. Self-control. Well she had that in spades cause she finished her projects, right? (Nicole: Yes) So that verse you quoted, Galatians 6:9? I had written it down for this one. (Oh) “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up. (Mm-hmm) You know, and I’m thinking she didn’t even have a sewing machine. Right?

Nicole (19:17):

Oh, that’s right.

Sharon (19:18):

I feel like she was either weaving or she was hand stitching.

Nicole (19:22):

That’s a lot of, that takes a lot of self control.

Sharon (19:25):

That takes lot of self-control (Nicole: Yeah) Especially when your hands cramp up and all this stuff. (Oh yeah) So it takes self-control to stick with something. (Yes) So here’s to you Sunday school teacher who prepares a lesson week after week after week. (Absolutely) Or the person that works in the nursery and shows up and holds children that maybe shouldn’t have been brought, with runny noses. (Yes) Week after week after week. Or even the women at our church that whenever there’s a funeral, they organize the food afterwards so the family doesn’t have to. (That’s so sweet) Over and over. I just, I lift my microphone to you all because these are the ones that have the self-control, the discipline, to get these non-noticed jobs done and done, well. (I agree) I so love it. I really do. So do you know anybody? Can you think of anybody in your own life who just was a Dorcas-ish person who’s not been highlighted in any way, but that you just, I mean, here you go Nicole. Who would you like to highlight?

Nicole (20:26):

Who would I like to highlight? (Sharon: Yeah) I was thinking of, we’ve been to so many different churches over the years because we moved a lot, the church pianist. I feel like in every church we went to, I’m always fascinated by piano players and watching their fingers move. But they always just quietly moved up, play their beautiful music for us to all worship God, you know? Cause we were an older Baptist church, so it was piano and organ for most of the services. (Yeah) So, but they were there every week, rain or shine. (Yes) They never missed a Sunday that, I mean, they seemed to never miss a Sunday. (Uhhuh) And just quietly serving God and without them so much would’ve been missing from our worship service.

Sharon (21:01):

I love that.

Nicole (21:01):

But they always showed up and I was just always amazed at the faithfulness. (Sharon: Right) And the quiet, like, there’s not a lot of glory. No one’s like, oh, thank you pianist. Like no one thanks them.

Sharon (21:10):

No, no. They just assume they’re gonna play so you can sing ‘Amazing Grace’.

Nicole (21:13):

Right. Exactly. And then they just quietly go to their seat. There’s not a lot of thanks in it.

Sharon (21:17):

Yeah. Yes.

Nicole (21:18):

And it’s usually the same pianist for years and years.

Sharon (21:20):

You know what I’m remembering now? Do you wanna know the name of my pianist when I was a little girl? (Nicole: Yes) I just remembered her name. Beulah.

Nicole (21:28):

Beulah, what an awesome name.

Sharon (21:29):

Beulah C. Baker.

Nicole (21:30):

Oh my goodness.

Sharon (21:31):

How did I remember her middle name?

Nicole (21:32):

I don’t know.

Sharon (21:32):

All of a sudden you’re talking and I’m like, Beulah C. Baker.

Nicole (21:36):

Isn’t that sweet.

Sharon (21:37):

There she is. She felt very elderly to me at the time. She was probably younger than I am now. But she was a widow.

Nicole (21:45):

Yeah.

Sharon (21:45):

And same thing. She just played every week. (Nicole: Yeah) And nobody applauded her. (Yes) Aw, (I know) what a great choice.

Nicole (21:53):

I know. I I have to applaud our little pianist on Sunday and say ‘Thank you’.

Sharon (21:57):

Yes. It’s right. And sometimes I know from friends who are pianists, they get the music at the last minute. (Nicole: Yeah) Or they’re accompanying a singer who decides to sing the verse differently (And they change the key) and they have to catch up or change the key. It’s not easy.

Nicole (22:12):

No, it’s not.

Sharon (22:13):

And there’s not a lot of glory in it.

Nicole (22:15):

No.

Sharon (22:15):

Oh wow.

Nicole (22:17):

So church pianists, I think they’re special, a special kind of people.

Sharon (22:20):

They are. Well I actually have two. I’m cheating. I thought of two people. The first one you know, maybe I just like strange names cause Beulah C. Baker is such a fun name.

Nicole (22:30):

That does stand out.

Sharon (22:31):

Um, Miss Marguerite Fancy.

Nicole (22:33):

Oh, I love that name.

Sharon (22:35):

Isn’t that the most adorable name?

Nicole (22:36):

That’s great.

Sharon (22:37):

When Ray was getting his PhD and I was basically single parenting (Nicole: Yeah) an 18 month old and a three month old at that point, (Oh my word) with cloth, diapers, all the things. I met Miss Marguerite Fancy because she always baked homemade bread for church. (Yeah. Oh) Which is pretty cool. (Yeah) And I decided that, you know, to be a full homemaker cause I wasn’t busy enough, I needed to learn how to make homemade bread.

Nicole (23:04):

Oh, don’t you love when you get these notions?

Sharon (23:06):

I know.

Nicole (23:07):

It’s like, great. What was I thinking.

Sharon (23:09):

So I learned how to make Miss Marguerite Fancy’s homemade oatmeal bread.

Nicole (23:13):

Oh, delicious.

Sharon (23:13):

Which is so good. I should make it again because for years I made it. (Nicole: Yeah) It was just a staple on our table. (Oh) And nobody really noticed Marguerite Fancy. She just made a bread. And I loved getting to know her, Nicole, because she actually had a really fascinating history. She lived with her sister. She never married, her sister and her husband. (Yeah) So I just, I just wanted to honor her because people never did. So. (Right). Honored. There you are Marguerite.

Nicole (23:41):

Oh nice job Marguerite with your fancy bread.

Sharon (23:42):

Yeah, with her little bread. And then the other one is my Aunt Joan, who, um, never was blessed with grandchildren of her own, but for every single one of my grandchildren, has made a very ornate sampler, unique to them with their name, their birthdate, their birth weight. A beautiful poem, over and over she’s done these. And it’s just such a sweet example of, you know, both faithfulness, self-control and, and loving kindness. She’s celebrating grandchildren she’ll never have, you know? (Nicole: Right) With our, with our seven and you know, she even did the last one, I thought maybe she’s gonna be tired. Right? (Right) Anastasia has hers too.

Nicole (24:29):

She does. Oh, that’s so sweet.

Sharon (24:30):

Yes. And they’re all beautiful. And Mary to, to her full credit, she hangs them all in what, whatever the latest baby’s nursery is.

Nicole (24:39):

Right. Oh, that’s so sweet.

Sharon (24:40):

So they all hang together. Mary sent her picture from the Netherlands with all five of them proudly displayed.

Nicole (24:46):

Oh, to honor her hard work. That’s so special.

Sharon (24:47):

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Nicole (24:48):

When something like that is treasured like that.

Sharon (24:49):

Joan gives so many gifts away. And she’s a sewer. (Nicole: Yeah) She does all these quiet things as well. (Mm-hmm)

Nicole (24:56):

A lot of makers are quieter in their, I dunno, the quiet ones are usually the, the makers that give the (Sharon: Yes, yes) I think of, you know, Anne and Melissa are both such talented (They are) yarn magic people with the way they make things, the way they, (And they’re quiet) yeah, and they’re both very quiet, but they’re so quick to give something, a gift. (Absolutely) Or encourage someone that’s sad. I just, I’ve been blessed by both of them so many times.

Sharon (25:20):

It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the gift of generosity is often paired with someone who’s creating things. (Nicole: Yeah) I’ve seen that too. (Yeah) Over and over. (That gift of giving) And the church and anybody that knows them is just quietly blessed. (Yeah) Because of what they gave. And they actually don’t want the spotlight shown on them. (No) You know we don’t have to feel sorry for them because they’re like, no, no, please, no.

Nicole (25:44):

Don’t look at me. Don’t make me stand up.

Sharon (25:46):

Don’t shine the spotlight. In fact, I’m having a hard time even with our financial donors. (Nicole: Yeah) Because we’ve got financial donors for Sweet Selah Ministries and we wanna have this supporter’s reception to thank them. (Yes) They actually don’t wanna be thanked. (I know) I’m like, no, we must thank you.

Nicole (26:03):

We want to thank you.

Sharon (26:03):

Yes. No, we do not want to be thanked. They just wanna quietly give, you know?

Nicole (26:09):

That’s so sweet.

Sharon (26:09):

So I’m having to reassure all our donors. We won’t tell people how much you gave. We won’t actually say anything about you. You can quietly sit at a table. Could we please just celebrate with you what God has done?

Nicole (26:22):

Oh, I love it.

Sharon (26:23):

Isn’t that fascinating?

Nicole (26:24):

Yeah. That is neat how that gentle spirit, that humble, it really does tie in so closely to generous giving.

Sharon (26:31):

Yes, it does.

Nicole (26:32):

That’s such a cool thing.

Sharon (26:33):

Yeah. And when the Bible talks about the first being last and the last being first, some of us with the big mouths, we’re at the back of the line. I know we are.

Nicole (26:41):

Oh, for sure.

Sharon (26:41):

Dorcas is gonna be up at the front and I’ll be waving at her from a distance.

Nicole (26:43):

Save us some oatmeal bread.

Sharon (26:48):

That’s right, Miss Marguerite.

Nicole (26:49):

Right. Yeah. No, I believe that wholeheartedly.

Sharon (26:53):

And that’s just all part of the God who sees. (Nicole: Yes) God sees everyone and he honors and values everyone. And the fact that Dorcas got raised from the dead, so we’d notice her, that’s not insignificant. (No, not at all) That had to happen. And she did exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.

Nicole (27:13):

She did it so well.

Sharon (27:15):

Well, let’s pray. Oh Father God, how I thank you for this quiet woman who we’ll get to meet someday who is still alive and well with you in heaven. Lord, thank you for the testimony of a quiet life of someone who sees need and simply gives without, blowing trumpets about it. We are so grateful for the Dorcas’s we have known. And Father, if there’s a Dorcas or three out there listening, would you just whisper to her in her ear? I see you. I’m so proud of you. Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Nicole (27:56):

Amen. Thanks so much for listening today. I loved highlighting one of the quiet ones in the Bible. It’s so good to know we don’t have to be a big shot to be valued by God. In fact, God makes it pretty clear we ought to strive to be a humble person, not a prideful one. Dorcas is a great example of that. Next week we’re going to look at a man who became known because of his great passion for Jesus. We’ll be studying the life of Stephen, the Church’s first martyr, in episode 108, the Power of a Passionate Heart. As always, find us @Sweetselah.org/podcast and consider donating by going to Sweetselah.org/donate. We’d really appreciate it. May you find quiet ways to serve this week and come back next week as we continue this study. God bless you.

Speaker 2 (28:44):

We are so glad you stopped for a while with us. The Sweet Selah Moments Podcast is a cooperative production of Word Radio and Sweet Selah Ministries. More information about this podcast can be found@sweetselah.org. Thank you for joining us.