By Pastor Felicia Zamora
The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, says in chapter 12, verse 12: “
Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the
parts of the body are one body, even though there are many.” (CEB Translation)
Being a part of a faith community and representing Christ means understanding and
acknowledging that each of us has valuable, unique talents.
Working in pastoral care involves various tasks, such as praying, visiting people’s
homes and hospitals, making phone calls, and listening to brothers and sisters who
cannot attend the sanctuary due to health problems or other reasons.
However, the most critical aspect of this role is ensuring that their voices and
testimonies are heard by the congregation and that their talents are valued.
One of the families I visit regularly is Bill and Debbie Davis. Although they are not
physically present, they are faithful members with a heart for Christ and others. On
almost every visit, Debbie always asks me, “Is there anyone I can pray for?” She has a
notepad where she writes the names of church folks she prays for. Due to Debbie’s
physical limitations, Bill helps her with house chores while encouraging her to see her
acts of kindness as a gift from God through her prayers, card writing, and calling other
church members.
This is an example of true love, especially in challenging situations.
In one of my conversations with Debbie, she shared the testimony of her 99-year-old
mother, Helen Lindenfelser. Her mother has always been an active congregation
member with a heart for serving. During one of her devotional times, Helen asked God
whether her actions affected people.
Helen’s prayers were answered through a phone call from her nephew Jim. Her nephew
was reminiscing that when he was nine years old, he asked Debbie’s mom about her
walk of faith during one of the family gatherings during the holidays. She answered: “I
read my Bible all the time; I pray for everybody. Jim was motivated to become a
Christian by these words. He then shared his faith with his brothers and spouse, who
also became believers. Jim spoke to other community members about Christ. Listening
to these words encouraged Helen to know that her labor was not in vain.
As Debbie shared this, I thought about how God works behind the scenes. Maybe some
believe God is silent, but as Debbie remarks, “Words that you might not think are
important at the time are actually seeds that are sown.” I recall too one song by Mexican
Baptist Pastor/Song Writer Joel Sierra in his song “Tocaras a alguien” (You will reach
out to someone), which says, “The words that touch your mouth creates a spark, the
wind carries it, and one might not know who it reaches, but the Spirit will ignite it..”
Debbie used a pebble dropped in a pond as an analogy to explain that its ripples can
affect areas far from where the pebble fell. The analogy reminds us that by living our
lives by Christ’s teachings, we are creating positive impacts on those around us, just like
the waves that spread from the point of impact in a pond.
Testimonies shared by people of faith, like the Davis family, enrich our faith and remind
us that the Spirit of God is always on the move. As the Gospel of John says, “For God
gives the Spirit without limit.”