Actions That Accompany Faith
When we give, we also receive. Olivia Hoang, one of our long-time Nail Day volunteers, has found that to be true. Read her story below.
From the beginning of my time volunteering at BJM three years ago, I felt a deep sense of value in Nail Day for my own soul. I knew I was there to help out, to pour into others, but I found my own soul being fed.
Jesus told us that the people who have been brought low are blessed—those mourning, meek, merciful, poor in spirit, hungering for righteousness, and persecuted because of righteousness (Matthew 5:3–12). I've been thinking about how strange that is. What if someone came up to you—poor in spirit, mourning—and you recognized that state as blessed? But these people must place their reward in heaven. They’re blessed because they cling to hope for Jesus’ coming.
Sitting in the uncomfortable with those who have been brought low is not easy. It's not pretty. It's usually smelly, but it’s the biggest blessing because it prompts me to remember the grace and mercy we desperately need and receive through Jesus when God sent His son low to free us of our sin. I recognize that this is what love looks like.
It’s circular: when I serve, I remember that I have received unmerited grace, and that grace spurs me to serve. James 2:14-17 reads, “ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
As Christians, I strongly believe we are to take action to serve the Lord. We no longer live for ourselves, but for God. I believe that we are all longing for communion with God. We just have to know where to look.
In Isaiah 58, God invites us to partner with Him in that plan to restore His people.
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
When I go to Nail Day and sit with a woman experiencing homelessness, I don't solve much. I don't necessarily find her a home or a job. All I do is brush a coat of polish on her nails, listen to her story and needs, see where BJM can help or provide for those needs, and pray for her. But these are the actions that accompany faith. They’re small steps toward justice and restoring the Kingdom of God. I've found BJM to be the space where I see these steps being taken, and I am so thankful to witness it.
We’d love to have you be a part of it, too! Nail Day happens the second Saturday of every month, and you can sign up to volunteer here.