Wednesday, The Second Week of Lent

“Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.”
From Matthew 20:17-28

Though this might seem to be a small gesture to some, my neighbor’s kindness meant the world to me. We had suffered a very heavy snowfall and most of the residents of our block headed outdoors early to clear our driveways. My neighbor and another good soul took care of their own driveways and then moved on to a third because that neighbor was out of town. In the mean time, I plugged away at the thick blanket of snow which covered my driveway.

I had almost finished when a village plow came through. I watched in horror as the plow formed an eighteen-inch icy mound at the end of my driveway. I knew immediately that it would be impossible for my mediocre snowblower to make a dent in that great white wall. I also knew that my back would not tolerate lifting all of that snow. Still, I picked up my shovel and headed toward the street.

My neighbor across the street who continued to clear another neighbor’s snow must have seen my tears. Not a minute later, he strolled across the street with his more capable snowblower. In spite of the ice on his eyebrows and his rosy-cold cheeks, he immediately pushed into my snowbank. When I tried to assist him with my shovel, he instructed me to go into the house to warm up while he worked. With the deepest gratitude, I put away my shovel and went indoors.

Dear Jesus, you teach us to serve one another. Help me to serve those you have given me to love with my good neighbor’s generosity. And, Lord, please bless him especially generously today.