Luke 12:7 – Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV)

There are many references to hair in the Bible, but this particular one challenges my imagination — to think that God even knows the number of our hairs.

Some males like myself, with few hairs on our heads, may make the numbering challenge easier. A retired bank chairman, who is almost totally bald, once told me that he had asked his barber to give him a discount. His barber snorted in return, "Discount? I was thinking of charging you extra. I have to use a magnifying glass to even find some hairs to cut!"

Rosa is a lovely lady who comes to our building to trim hair for some of the men, but primarily to help the ladies look more beautiful by having their hair done.

Most women like to have their hair beautified. My wife was blessed with hair that never changed colour (no grey hairs) but she always enjoyed having a periodic wash, trim, and set. Even in the latter days, she appreciated the hairdresser visiting our home so that she could have her hair done.

Recently, I complimented a neighbour on how lovely her hair looked. She pleasantly and appropriately responded with a grateful "Thank you very much."

She then surprised me by quickly saying, "I must tell Rosa."

That comment made me think. She had graciously accepted the compliment, but to her, it was more important to recognize the person who made her lovely hairdo possible.

How often do we take credit for something without recognizing the persons or circumstances that made it possible? How often do we fail to "tell Rosa"?

On another occasion, this same neighbour taught me another important lesson.

When we rode up the elevator, I noticed that she appeared bothered about something. After leaving the elevator, we stopped outside her door, just three doors from mine. She shared her problem for a few minutes and I offered some brief words of encouragement. I then turned to leave for my own room.

As I left, she thanked me for taking the time to listen. I didn't feel that I had done anything significant at all. I had just listened, and only for a few brief minutes.

I realized that there are two important lessons here: giving thanks and taking time to listen are both simple things to do and often take little time. But invariably, each brings rewards far greater than the effort involved for both the giver and the receiver.

All this made me realize that these helpful acts are things that each of us can easily do.

We all have time to use as we wish. Some of the things that we can do with our time are to give thanks and to listen. We never know how helpful that can be. I was certainly surprised. You might be also!

Luke 6:31 – Do to others as you would have them do to you. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear God, help us always to take care to share credit with others for those things for which we receive praise. Help us to be willing to "tell Rosa". May we also be willing to give our time to others. May we be wise in sharing our faith and leading others to the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. In His name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Vincent Walter <vwalter@bell.net>
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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