Widows

Don't Lose Hope, Jesus Has A Plan

by Victoria Thacker

More than half of all women 65 and older are widows, while that unnerving statistic rises to about 70 percent of women older than 75. Any cardiologist worth his salt could tell the American public that isolation, lack of companionship and/or a broken heart can be a cause of death. If loneliness were a product, Wall Street would label it a "growth stock."

During the past 13 years I've come to fully understand the plight of the widow. You see I was married for 36 years before I became a part of the widowhood statistics at the age of 56. Beginning a new life alone is perhaps the hardest challenge I've ever faced. I've listened again and again to widows' pain and anguish, witnessed their sadness and confusion as well as their struggle to survive. The handprint of grief is written all over them.

Grief is not a one size fits all emotion. It can go in different directions for different people because it is so complex. However what is universal with grief is how very painful it is. Then add into that mix the fact that many widows have their family incomes cut in half if not completely eliminated. Many have children that they will now have to raise alone. Are you getting the big picture or feeling their anguish? That is why there are mandates in the Scriptures concerning care for the widows.

Jesus knows all about these afflictions and sufferings. James 1:27 "Pure religion and undefiled before God nad the Father is this. To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Did you know that we have a role to play in helping widows? The plan is for the body of Christ (not only deacons) to minister to the widows. Remember the acronym for JOY? Jesus - Otehrs - You. Widows are indeed part of the others in that acronym, who are in desperate need of companionship, compassion, care and concern.

In James 1:26 "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." Why does this verse precede vs.27 it doesn't appear to be relating to the same subject? Think Again! The reason it was placed there is because there are many who are not true religios walkers only religious talkers. Religious talkers have a pretense of what pure religion is. So James is clearing up the matter by explaining what the real thing is! Verse 27 is the plum line, the litmus test to see if we are thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.

The rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 deceived himself, for he believed he was very religious. Remember what he said? He neither committed adultery nor stole, nor lied about anyone, nor did he ever bring disgrace or shame upon his parents and that he loved his neighbor as himself. (Liar, liar, pants on fire!) He was deceiving himself. We can't change what we don't acknowledge. Jesus wanted the ruler to recognize that he wasn't all that he perceived he was. Therefore the Lord told him to see all that he owned and give it to the poor. Matthew gave this young ruler a measuring stick in which to test his true spiritual state. What if anything did he realize? The answer is found in what he did not do. He did not listen to the Lord and sell all he had, instead (he quivered in his sandals) and went away.

Now James gives you and I a way in which to evaluate our spiritual state. The answer can also be found in what we do not do. Have we ignorantly erred by not ministering to our widows? Are we doing the same thing that the rich young ruler did, (shaking in our boots) and walking away? If so, acknowledge the fact and do something about it!

In my next article, I will be focusing on the word visit that is spoken of in James 1:27. I'll be writing from my viewpoint, on what I believe the biblical meaning of the word is. (You know that the difinition of some words have changed over the years or have more than one meaning.)

Victoria Thacker will be speaking at Freedom Baptist Church in Auburn, NY on Saturday, March 29th. Call Debbie Dunbar for more information 315-252-2979 or 315-253-6261.