When a woman poured expensive ointment onto Jesus’ head, people were quick to complain about how much of a waste it was. But Jesus paid her one of His greatest compliments: ‘She has done what she could.’ God requires us to do what we can too. One night in 1837, a woman felt the voice of God telling her she’d a special mission in life. Nine years later that mission began to take shape when a friend sent her information about an institution in Germany that trained missionaries, so she went there and learned to care for the sick. In 1853 she became superintendent of a women’s hospital in London. When the Crimean War broke out in 1854, she volunteered to take care of British soldiers and went to Constantinople. Once in Turkey, she was put in charge of nursing at a military hospital. It was a male-dominated society, and the doctors were hostile towards her. The hospital was filthy, so she dug in her heels and began caring for her patients, at first using the provisions she brought with her and then by trying to ensure that the hospital was regularly re-stocked. She spent hours each day in the wards, caring for virtually every wounded soldier who entered it. The comfort she gave them on her night rounds earned her the nickname ‘the lady with the lamp.’ Who was she? Florence Nightingale. One of her most famous sayings was, ‘I never made an excuse, or accepted an excuse.’ So instead of focusing on the skills and resources we don’t have, we need to use what God has given us. We need to do what we can.
What now?
What issues affecting your community do you feel really strongly about? Find out how you can get involved and make a difference.