There were two ladies who lived near each other in a nice, small town. One of the ladies lived by herself. She was getting along in years and had trouble walking, but she could still drive her car when she needed to. When the weather was nice, she would sit on her front porch and read or watch the birds and squirrels in her trees.
The other lady, The Lady in the Car, was younger, lived with her husband, and often drove past The Lady on the Porch’s house. Sometimes she would stop to say hello, and the two would enjoy a conversation. They would talk about the weather, the birds and squirrels, and their small town. Sometimes The Lady on the Porch would tell old stories about her mother or how the neighborhood used to look. Sometimes the two would talk about things going on in the churches they attended, two nice churches full of people from the town.
During the winter, The Lady in the Car did not often see The Lady on the Porch. She hoped that she was OK. She told herself that when it got warm, she would be a better friend and stop for visits often. But when the time came, she would usually just wave and smile as she drove by on her way to do something important or to get back home to cook dinner. Sometimes, she would promise to stop and say hello if The Lady on the Porch was still outside when she came back, but, if her errands took longer than expected or if she didn’t know where to park or if she didn’t feel like talking, she would just smile and wave and drive on by, maybe saying a little prayer for The Lady on the Porch.
One week, The Lady in the Car had driven by without stopping to talk to The Lady on the Porch three times. She felt bad that the summer would soon end and she had not spent much time being a friend. It didn’t seem like enough to just be friendly while passing her by. Then an amazing thing happened. The Lady in the Car went to the store and decided to buy some grapes. When she turned toward the fruit section, there was The Lady on the Porch, looking at the grapes! She quickly made her way to The Lady on the Porch and said hello. They talked about what kind of grapes they wanted and decided the bags were so full that they could get one bag and share the fruit.
It was a joyous occasion for The Lady in the Car to make her way to the check-out line with The Lady on the Porch to make the purchase and spend a bit of time together. She knew that her prayers had been heard and that this meeting was not by chance.
Soon after, though, The Lady in the Car drove by the house of The Lady on the Porch three times in one day without stopping to talk. She felt bad about that, but wasn’t sure that she would change her ways. The next morning, she opened her Bible to read about God and his ways. As she was reading a letter written by an early preacher of the good news of Jesus Christ, she came to some strong words meant to correct religious people who were arguing about religious requirements. The preacher made the point that keeping rules did not require faith in Jesus. The Lady in the Car agreed with the preacher and felt thankful for the grace that came from God through His Son. Then she read the preacher’s next sentence.
The Lady in the Car remembered that The Lady on the Porch had talked about knowing that we are supposed to love everyone, but that she has trouble with that. It causes her to wonder whether God is pleased with her.
The Lady in the Car remembered a little saying that goes, “God’s not finished with me yet.” She felt thankful that the Bible promises that,
…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
She knows that she often fails to love her neighbor as herself, a love that is demonstrated through service. Her hope comes with the knowledge that God has put his Holy Spirit in her and that He is working to make her like his son, Jesus. Her part is to remember and do what the preacher said,
