Who Needs You?
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a story about my friend, Brenda.
Brenda is a woman in her 60’s and she is a widow. Her husband, Arnie, passed away seven years ago from cancer. It only took a few months for him to succumb – a very short time for Brenda to grasp that she was about to be a widow. When Arnie died, it left a huge emptiness. But Brenda could not imagine. Here she is, herself and a young son and a large and spacious home. Yet its largeness only underscored the emptiness, the loneliness. What should she now do to fill the space?
People often ask me, “Joni, what can I do about my lonely feelings? I feel so isolated from others.” Well you know lonely people sometimes develop the habit of looking inward, which only breeds more loneliness. But God wants us to look outward to the needs of others. Philippians 2:4-5 says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” And just think of the attitude Jesus had: He prayed for the people around him; he struck up conversations and asked people questions about themselves, and he observed the needs of others and did everything he could to meet them.
And that is exactly what my friend Brenda did. She learned of our need at Joni and Friends for suitable housing for our young interns. Our internship program enlists dozens of young people every summer to come and serve with us at the International Disability Center, or our ‘Wheels for the World’ outreaches, and at our Family Retreats. Brenda looked around at her big, beautiful house and realized it was the perfect setting to invite some of the young interns to come and live with her during their time here with us at Joni and Friends. And so, for the last ten summers or so, she has been “Mama Brenda” to these young people; welcoming them into her home, serving meals, providing warm beds, cooking up late-night snacks, solving their problems, and just, well, just looking out for their interests, as it says in Philippians Chapter 4. These interns love their Southern California mama, and I can’t think of a better way for Brenda to invest her time and share her own home than with these remarkable young Christian leaders of the future.
Friend, if you are struggling with loneliness (and maybe you, too, are a widow like Brenda), there are all kinds of ways you can look out for the interests of others which will chase away that loneliness. Join a Bible study or a book club. Participate in a senior citizen center or volunteer at a hospital. Become a teacher’s aide at school, or invest your time volunteering at a state park. Open up your home to foreign students, or invite college kids at your church to come to your home for Sunday afternoon meals. Serve as a docent at a local museum or help at a food bank or a local animal shelter. There are all kinds of ways to practice Christianity with your sleeves rolled up.
And I give more ideas on ways you can serve in my booklet which I call “No Longer Alone.” It’s a 12-page pamphlet filled with wonderful insights from Scripture on how you can move forward through your loneliness. Just like my friend Brenda has done. So don’t forget to visit joniradio.org today and ask for your free copy of “No Longer Alone.” In fact, one of Brenda’s interns is Ruth. Ruth is serving in our Joni and Friends radio department here at the ministry and she sure does love her “California mama”. And hey, if you are young and you want to consider serving as an intern, then go to our internships page at joniandfriends.org. Learn all about our amazing internships and serve with us next summer. And don’t forget to visit joniandfriends.org today and ask for your free copy of “No Longer Alone.” See you later at Joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
