Imagine living in your house and realizing that it was separating; literally separating. The floors are detaching from the walls as the joists are rotting away. As you look across your floor it dips nearly half a foot in the middle making walking on it or putting thing in the room dangerous and unsettling at best.
That is the situation we found at Ms. Lillian’s home. Ms. Lillian lives within the Auburn proper but through a series of quick turns and a dirt road, you feel you are in the country quite quickly. Ms. Lillian is in her 70’s and looking after her son who has a mental disability and in his 50’s. Both are super sweet and work hard to look after each other. The glow on Ms. Lillian’s face is never-ending and she always finds a way to praise Jesus in every conversation you have with her.
Ms. Lillian has been looking after and taking care of other people since she can remember. Part of her journey has been to bless others and meet their needs. Her stories reveal a life dedicated to taking people places, checking in on them, gardening, and so much more. She told me in a moment of raw honesty, she was glad it was her turn to be blessed. I nod in agreement, smiling, and agreeing with her one hundred percent.
In the past few weeks, we have been able to focus on Ms. Lillian. So far we have gutted her floor to start rebuilding it. Are scraping and painting the exterior of her home, helping with needed yard maintenance and giving her some awesome doses of Christian love. Groups like the Auburn Wesley Foundation and Lee Chapel AME from Nashville, Tennessee have been the main groups serving with her. It has been a joy being able to pray together and share our stories of what Christ is doing in our lives.
As you read this, my hope is that you can find a Ms. Lillian in your community. Someone who has been caring about others and could use a little extra love and attention in her own family. Serving in this way is another way we live out or faith in Jesus. It takes us outside the building walls and allows us to be the church which is really about a group of people living out our faith in Christ not a location or building. I pray we are all challenged to go and make disciples not only out of duty but out of love as a heavenly response to our Father’s endless grace .
Grace and peace,
Steve and Lillian
lisa
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