Jay Kay’s Christmas Example

“Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.”

Romans 15:1

The other day, as I thought through our Christmas dinner plans, I was reminded of a sweet memory from the days when I lived with my sister Jay. Let me take you back to a cold December afternoon in 1972 inside our cozy, Maryland farm house.

I was in my wheelchair parked as close as I could get to my sister’s stove and kitchen counter. Unlike most farmhouses, Jay’s kitchen was like a narrow galley and I was unable to look over her shoulder as she was preparing a meal. Besides, it’s good that I stay out of that cramped kitchen, I thought, I don’t want to get in the way.

“She made every effort to draw me close to include me.”

But Jay knew that when I had use of my hands, I love cooking with her. So, she made every effort to draw me close to include me. She walked over, whipping a bowl of potatoes on her hip, and said, “Think this is creamy enough? Should I add more milk?”

Inwardly, I knew Jay didn’t need my advice – next to our mother, her box was filled with recipes for every kind of potato dish. Still, it touched me deeply that my sister wanted to include me and make me a part of things. So, for the next hour, I gave my opinion on everything from “this cranberry relish is too tart” to “that gravy definitely needs more salt!”

On that cold December afternoon, my love for my precious sister Jay Kay was forged into a tighter sisterhood than we had ever experienced before – all because she sought my help and invited me in.

She is a good example of Romans 15:1: “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.”

Over the course of the next week, you’ll have plenty of moments where you’ll come face to face with the frailties and weaknesses of people around you. My prayer is that you’ll remember the words of Romans 15:1 and look to not just busy yourself with tasks you enjoy doing, like cooking or shopping – reach out to someone weaker who is either young, old, or disabled. Involve them – it’s a way of bearing the weaknesses of others and, oh, how it would please the heart of the Lord Jesus! And speaking of prayer, if you’d like specific prayer for a situation where you’ll be involving the help of someone who is on the fringe of things, drop us a note!

–Joni Eareckson Tada