Dorcas and The Timing of Today

We’ve all heard that cliche saying – “Today is called the present for a reason, it’s a gift.” I know you’re rolling your eyes with me, right? Our first thought to follow is sure, if you didn’t have a pile of trials and tribulations surrounding you on both sides. The truth is, the hard circumstances of today, the confusion and fear of tomorrow, and even the shame of yesterday, can tempt us to forsake the value of today. We may even go so far as to disqualify ourselves from the beauty of where God has placed us.

What could we possibly learn from a woman whose days weren’t written in clear detail? Though Dorcas (also called Tabitha) couldn’t make “a day in the life” Tik Tok for us, follow me to Acts 9 and let’s see what characteristics marked her life and the evidence of her efforts. 

We don’t know a lot about Dorcas, but Acts 9:36 tells us that she was a woman living in Joppa at the time of Paul’s ministry and that she was “always doing good and helping the poor.” When she died, the surrounding community was devastated. As a town on the seacoast, Joppa was inhabited by many widows who had lost their spouses to maritime accidents. By “doing good and helping the poor,” Dorcas made sure not to take a single “today” for granted during her time on earth; she knew that she could make an impact in a grief stricken place. 

We don’t know whether or not Dorcas lost her own husband in this way, but it is evident that she felt a deep compassion for those around her which moved her to action. After she was sick and passed away, the community called for Paul to come visit and many widows showed him “the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them” (v.39). What tangible evidence of the way she loved and cared for those around her! 

The Honors Society that I was in during college was named after Dorcas and I’ve read the story a million times as I was brought in and as I had the privilege of bringing in other girls. Questions like “what does it mean to ‘give of yourself’?” and “what tangible things can you use to help someone today?” were things that we sought to answer and challenged one another to live out. All the while, what we were truly wondering is how to live a sacrificial life – one like Jesus lived. 

Even having read the story before, one thing resonated with me in my post-grad life more than it had ever before. Six small words that read “while she was still with them” pricked my heart and I began to think about the fluctuation of seasons in our lives. It’s easy, especially when planning out big future events like marriage and careers, to constantly wonder what the next step is that God has for us. After all, He is our Provider and we can absolutely trust Him to work out our future. 

But more times than not, we fail to realize that we are currently living in an answered prayer and if not that, then still a God-given opportunity. He makes no accidents about how He provides and where He positions us even for a short season. 

In college, my dear friend Hannah, from the Dorcas Honors Society, encouraged us with the following prayer regarding our futures, which is my current reality. Her prayer was this: “May God send us where the Gospel needs to go forward.” For me, post-grad, that is Orlando, FL. For others it was to remain at Young Harris or move across the world. Now we’re all living in the place we’re supposed to be based on the answer to that prayer. 

If you’re like me, maybe you know what it’s like to carry fear and anxiety about your future. What job will I have in 3 months? Will this family member be healed? Who will I marry? Who will I disappoint by choosing a certain path? The list goes on. 

Though we don’t have a full account of Tabitha’s life, we do know this – “while she was still with them” the joy and God-given peace she had weren’t just stored in her heart, they were reflected in the work of her hands. I’m sure she didn’t know that with each stitch in each piece of clothing, she was leaving a legacy much bigger than herself. Each time she simply focused on helping someone “today” and made a profound impact on their tomorrow. 

I’m guilty of worrying about the future, wondering if I can mess up what God has for me, and striving to figure out the next step. All along though, God is asking me “where are you still?” and who is your “them”? Because for today, that should be the focus. If I’m where I am, if you are where you are, that the gospel might go forward, will we join Him in partnership to ensure that happens? Or will we become so consumed with fear for our own life that we miss the impact He is asking us to make on those around us? 

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Love you, but God loves you more!

Prayers Always,

Laci Rae