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. 
Acts 9:36-39

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I spent about two years as the client of an experienced hairstylist at a busy local  salon. I was grateful for her skill and kind disposition. I was young and hadn’t learned all the ways to show appreciation for a partnership like that one yet, besides the usual gratuities. 

In my second year as her client, I checked out after an appointment and the receptionist mentioned that her birthday was coming up. I was excited to send her flowers and had them delivered to the salon on her birthday. I never heard from her and our next appointment was oddly awkward, with more silence between us than was usual. It occurred to me that in the two years that I had been booking appointments with her, I never asked her a personal question, I didn’t share holiday cards, and I had never, until that year, recognized her birthday. So my grand gesture had come out of nowhere and seemed to make her feel more uncomfortable than appreciated. Who knows, maybe she was allergic to flowers, I wouldn’t have known. If I had spent the last two years getting to know her, I would have had a better clue.

This moment (and lesson) has continued to remind me that it doesn’t always require grand gestures to truly see and encourage those around us. A close friend and mentor encouraged me recently, “Live a life rich in consistent dialogue with God whether through prayer, scripture, devotion, etc., then, instead of digging around inside yourself for how to encourage others, it will overflow.” This looks like consistently checking in with God and those we care about, helping when we see a need, and showing up when we say we will. It may not feel ‘grand,’ but little by little, we can build relationships that are more precious than any grand gesture or accomplishment. 

As we learned in today’s Scripture with Dorcas in Acts, there was no mention of a big achievement or above-and-beyond show of gratitude—only that she was always doing good. Like Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” So in our small, consistent gestures, over time, we can create a strong legacy of trust, encouragement, and love that will long outlive us.

Next Steps

• Writing this encouraged me to think about someone I would love to reconnect with and someone I will check in on. Who in your life do you want to get to know better? 
• How can you invest in or help the people around you more?
• What can you do to more consistently dialogue with God? If you haven’t already, sign up for the Willow App to join in prayer and more.