God looks at our hearts. He doesn’t want us to be annoyed at helping others. Who wants to see a volunteer that never smiles and grumbles during their entire shift? A Proverbs 31 woman is willing to help, happy to be sharing her gifts and time with others.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
Proverbs 31:20 NIV
Every Christian knows we should help the poor. God made the Old Testament people take care of the widows and children who couldn’t provide for themselves in a male dominated world. Jesus reinforced the command in the New Testament and said “whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.” Helping the poor and needy is like helping Jesus, showing his love for everyone.
Some days, it seems more annoying to go to our volunteer commitments than to do something else. Maybe there is a baby shower Saturday morning when we agreed to do a shift at the food pantry or agreed to put together food boxes for people in the neighborhood. God wants us to serve willingly, not resentfully.
Needy Doesn’t Just Mean Poor
Verse 20 says she “extends her hands to the needy.” There are many needs beyond money, many ways to help show God’s love than just handing out food or money. Nursing homes often need visitors to bring comfort to elderly who rarely get visitors. Maybe your church needs people to call shutins or people who haven’t been at work in a while. Communities need cleaning and orphanages always need toys, visitors, or supplies. Maybe you’re a person who loves parenting and could be a foster parent. Find something to help and have a glad heart while doing it.
“Extends Her Hands”
Naomi Schmidt, in her book on Proverbs 31, made a point that the verb used is active. A Christian woman shouldn’t simply hold out our money or service and wait for the needy to come to us. We should “extend” ourselves to find who we can help and how. Willing service to God means a happy heart in any opportunity God gives us to show his love in this world.