“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” – Luke 6:35
A few weeks ago, I entered the doors of the home pictured above and met the people who survive within its walls. It was an emotional day for me. The visit was spontaneous and I was ill-prepared to drink in the poverty that was about to be poured out in my presence. You see, I would have never ever been here without a little intervention from my precious savior and a delightfully grumpy woman named Miss Cora. I’ve known Miss Cora for a little over a year now, and have grown quite fond of her. Miss Cora lives in a poverty-stricken area, and our paths crossed when she reached out for help. A relationship quickly blossomed, and Miss Cora began attending a small Bible study I was leading in her neighborhood. Since then, the study has moved from its original location. Now, Miss Cora hosts our group in her tiny apartment.
When Miss Cora had called earlier that day and had asked if I could come pick her up and take her to run a few errands, I was not shocked. There is nothing abnormal about us running errands together since Miss Cora does not have any form of transportation. I knew that she needed to run to the library, the drug store, and I had guessed that she would want to stop to see what vegetables the local farmers were selling on the side of the road… But, when I arrived at her apartment to pick her up she added an additional destination to our list.
Miss Kim, We got one more stop today. We will go there first.
Ok, Miss Cora. Where are you taking me?
Well, you been doing all that talking about giving and sharing and being kind to people. You know, when you bringin’ the word at Bible study? Well, my ex-father-in-law lives up the hill over there. He real sick. Don’t nobody ever check on him or make sure he’s eating. People living in that house all around him. But, they all struggling too; so, they can’t even think about him.
So, we are going to visit him today?
Yeah. And, I got some food for him. I cooked, and we got leftovers, so I fixed him up a big plate. That’s what we are going to take him.
I cannot even explain what happened in my heart when she spoke those words. Miss Cora lives in poverty herself. She has had a heartbreaking life. To top it off, she is facing some serious health issues and spends three days a week hooked to a dialysis machine. Yet, she chose to sacrifice–to give food that she could have kept for herself–to her EX FATHER IN LAW. That, my friends, is what you’d call extending some serious grace; oozing crazy compassion; loving like Jesus would love.
Miss Cora is a tough cookie. She survives in an area where there isn’t much room for kindness and the general law of the land is “kill or be killed.” Love isn’t a language that is spoken or even trusted.
Honestly, when I first began “loving on” the women in Miss Cora’s neighborhood, I was a majorly skeptical. Though I believe that Jesus has power of everything, the darkness was suffocatingly thick. Hearts were hard. And the future looked bleak. I wasn’t sure that I would ever see even a tiny glimmer of hope. Oh, friends, I was wrong.
We’ve been meeting for over a year now in that neighborhood. And, what began with two women in an apartment has grown and grown and grown. It is amazing! Though it is easy for us to get excited about the sheer number of women who show up each week to study God’s word, what really thrills my soul is the change I have seen in the hearts and lives of so many women who attend the study.
Like, Miss Cora. She’s different. She’s softer. She’s kinder. She’s falling in love with Jesus. Through the study of God’s Word–upon learning what the Bible teaches about caring for the poor, about loving unconditionally, about following Jesus–Miss Cora is doing what so many of us fail to do. She is trusting and obeying.
Walking up those crumbling steps, knocking on that worn-out door, and watching Miss Cora’s kindness light up that dark home was almost more than I could take. It was refreshing to watch a believer take God’s words at face value.
It was raw. And, it was beautiful. It was Jesus.
Her simple obedience rocked my world. It got my mind whirling with questions. What’s wrong with us? Why do we fall into the trap of questioning God’s Word? Why are we content to merely memorize Scripture rather than actually do what it says?
After our errand running was complete, I dropped Miss Cora back off at her little apartment. She opened the car door, got out, then paused for a moment before she looked back at me.
Miss Kim, today felt good… like Jesus was there.
My response was simple.
Yeah, Miss Cora. It was a good day.
Kim Daly grew up in Grenada, Mississippi and graduated from Mississippi University for Women with a degree in English and Education. After a little over a decade in the classroom, Kim began working as a curriculum specialist for DeSoto County Schools. All of those dreams that she had dreamed as a little girl had seemingly come true and life felt “perfect”, but Kim’s heart began to tug in a new direction. In 2012, Kim left her dream job to begin Love Works 25:40 – a ministry dedicated to serving “the least of these” – the homeless, the destitute, the impoverished. Though life looks quite different than it used to look, Kim feels blessed to be able to spend her days “loving on” people in need and sharing this incredible journey with her husband, Vance and her two sons, Houston and Aaron.
All Photos courtesy of Kim Daly
