Day 15 — Dorcas’s Needle

“So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.”

— Acts 9:39 (BSB)

In the seaside town of Joppa lived a woman named Tabitha, also called Dorcas. The Bible says she “was always occupied with works of kindness and charity” (Acts 9:36).

What did Dorcas do? She sewed. She made tunics, robes and clothing for widows, women whose husbands had died. In those days, widows often had no way to earn money and very little to live on. So Dorcas used her needle and thread to take care of them.

Then Dorcas got sick and died.

The believers in Joppa sent for the apostle Peter, who was in a nearby town. When Peter arrived, he found a room full of widows, all of them crying. And they were holding up clothes to show him. Look, she made this for me. And this. And this. They wanted Peter to see how much Dorcas had meant to them.

Peter sent everyone out of the room. He knelt down and prayed. Then he said, “Tabitha, get up!” And she opened her eyes and sat up! God brought her back to life. The news spread all over Joppa, and many people believed in Jesus.

Here’s what’s beautiful about Dorcas: she didn’t do anything that seemed very dramatic. She wasn’t a famous preacher or a queen. She just used the skill she had, sewing, to love people who needed it.

And when she was gone, those people held up the proof of her love.

What “needle” do you have? What skill or talent could you use to care for people?

• Baking? Make cookies for a lonely neighbor.
• Art? Draw cards for kids in the hospital.
• Crafts? Make something for someone who needs cheering up.
• Music? Sing or play for people in a nursing home.
• Being a good listener? Spend time with someone who’s lonely.
• Being organized? Help someone clean up or plan.

God can use whatever you have, when you use it to love others.

Think about it: What “needle” (skill or talent) do you have that you could use to serve others?

Try this: Use your “needle” today to make or do something for someone who needs it.

Dear God, thank You for Dorcas, who used her needle to love people. Show me what gifts You’ve given me, and help me use them to care for others. Let my love be something people can see. In Jesus’ name, Amen.