Acts 9.36-38
Greatness is rarely achieved by doing great things but instead by doing good things repetitively. ~ Jeff Manion [DBTS, pg. 182]
This past weekend Pastor Jeff Manion highlighted the brief, yet heroic, story of Tabitha. We meet Tabitha at her funeral and quickly learn that her life had a tremendous impact on numerous widows. As the Apostle Peter is led into the room containing Tabitha’s body, the weeping widows point out several items of clothing Tabitha had sewn for them.
Widows had a difficult life in the first century. The loss of a husband and lack of sons to care for them often left them destitute. In addition, these widows lived in Joppa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, a city known for cold and windy winters. The clothing Tabitha sewed provided warmth, dignity, and hope for her widowed friends.
Tabitha didn’t cure a disease, plant a church, or rescue someone in danger, she sewed. Yet, she lived an extraordinary existence by devoting herself to a fairly unextraordinary activity. Tabitha was a remarkable woman because she embraced a holy redundancy, day in and day out.
Review page 183 of Dream Big, Think Small. Identify one consistent “Tabitha task” you’re willing to give yourself to repeatedly. Second, think of three people in your world who faithfully reflect the “Tabitha factor” and thank them for their faithfulness.
