Pure Religion
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27) Where can one find the fatherless and widows in one location? a nursing home. If you are able to spend time with these dear souls, you will be blessed abundantly. I need to visit them, I have not been on nursing home visitation since my youth. I can attest to the fact that visiting the elderly is the perfect remedy for the narcisstic tendencies of teenagers. When I was consumed with myself, how it helped me to see the sorrows of the elderly. It put so many things in proper perspective for me. I would worry about some difficult exam, but they showed me how to stand firm amidst true trials. On one occasion, I met a lady who could not cease crying because she was going to have her leg amputated the next day. She thought she was extremely selfish to cry over it. My little adolescent worries turned to dust in light of her suffering. What a blessing that we can be a balm of comfort to these dear souls! They are so precious to the Lord that He considers it "pure religion" to visit them in their afflictions. "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak." (Romans 15:1)