“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help” (Psalm 34:15).
Every Friday afternoon the kitchen gave off a delicious aroma. It was the long-awaited chocolate cake!
Thanks to odor receptors in our nose, signals are sent to the olfactory bulb, and it in turn connects with the cerebral cortex, the limbic system and hypothalamus. Because of that there are emotional responses associated with smells. And that chocolate cake awakened positive responses, not only because it was delicious, but also because it was associated with the most special time of the week
My siblings, my mom and I were temporarily staying at the home of some friends. We had been living there for several months and I began to notice the Friday ritual. When the house was clean and the sun was about to set, a homeless boy would come. Actually, I think he had a home, but he spent a great amount of time on the streets working to earn some money which was unfortunately never for him. Many times the situation in his home was so sad that it was better for him to be outside than inside. He would come, greet everyone and proceed to take a long, hot shower. When he came out, he looked like a totally different person. Then he would sit down with us kids to snack on that delicious chocolate cake.
Many times, I silently watched him eating several pieces of cake. We shared in that happy time and got ready for all the other blessings the day would bring.
On Sabbath morning we would find him in church and, even though my family and I moved later on and I never heard of him again, I distinctly remember him smiling over the chocolate cake.
I was able to witness many acts of selfless service in that home, and I remember we often heard and sang a song called “He Sees It All”.
Like the verse says, the eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, both to meet the needs of the needy and to make those who have abundance be aware of how much they can help with just a little.
What generous action can you set out to do every Friday from now on?
