In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭9‬
The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

When I think of people in my life who have the gift of meeting the needs of others, so many come to mind: my mom, Darryl Gadbois, Sheila Goetze, and Sue Marostica. Some people are just on mission to help others. And all of these acts of kindness and generosity come back to them in spades in their times of need.

The people in Joppa were blessed by Tabitha. So much so, that they went into mourning for her and they sent for Peter to come. Why? She abounded in good works. Tabitha cared for widows in their distress. She dressed them in new clothes, though they could not afford them. These clothes gave them an infinite number of hugs from Tabitha, I imagine. She also cared about the poor. What a wonderful model for us to follow.

I have found that giving someone a bag of rice and a chicken to cook is nice and generous. But making them a gourmet meal is a gift that tells them they matter to you in a big way. Tabitha could have found hand-me-down clothes to give these widows, but she went beyond that. She made them custom clothes to fit them and make them feel very special! She gave her best and used her skills to bless people, and everyone saw her heart and mourned her loss.

What can I do to show an “over-the-top” type of love like Tabitha did? How can I abound in doing good works?

Lord, thank you for the model of Tabitha and how she made it her life’s mission to do good and bless people in very special ways. I want to bless others by giving them special gifts when they matter most.