The Sacredness of Simple Acts of Love
Sorting through some old clothes this past weekend, I pulled a faded black zip-up jacket from a pile and smiled. Years ago, it had been my turn to host a neighborhood women’s night at my house. After the gathering, I discovered the jacket hanging on a hook by the front door. Figuring someone had left it behind, I sent out a group email. No one responded. I asked around a bit more, then mentioned the situation to my close friend Anne.
“It’s such a nice jacket,” I said. “And no one has claimed it. It’s just the kind I could use, too. I’m tempted to wear it myself!”
“I think you should,” she replied. “You’ve already asked everyone. If the owner notices you in it, you could give it to her then, and you have proof that you tried to return it.”
The jacket hung by the door for another month or two. One day, I slipped it on, and it became a wardrobe staple.
A couple of years later, I went to Anne’s house to help her pack for a long-distance move. She saw me wearing the jacket and smiled.
“I have to make a confession,” she said. “That was my jacket. I forgot it at your house before the party. But I saw how much you loved it and knew you wouldn’t keep it if you knew it was mine. So, I encouraged you to have it.”
I had already been on the verge of tears at Anne’s move, and now they spilled over. Anne was one of the few people who had known we were going through a hard financial season back then, and new clothes for me weren’t in the budget. In our years of friendship, Anne and I had celebrated and mourned with each other through so many of life’s ups and downs: babies born and kids growing, jobs lost and gained, personal joys and heartbreaks only true friends could help carry. The jacket was just one example of her love for me, a tangible reminder of how she was a friend, "who loves at all times," (Proverbs 17:17) even when my pride would have kept me from accepting the love that she offered.
In a world so full of loneliness, we can be the love of Christ to one another in friendship. When we share the weight of life with one another—even through something as ordinary as a jacket—we live out the love of Christ and make His presence known in the world.
Question for Reflection:
Do you have a friend who carries your burdens, or maybe one who needs a little extra love today? Send the text. Make the call. Share the jacket. These simple acts of love aren’t just nice gestures; they are sacred.