Dorcas and Her Kind Hands

Here is the story of a woman whose hands were always busy being kind.

Long ago, in a town called Joppa, right beside the sparkling sea, there lived a woman who loved Jesus. She had two names. In one language she was called Tabitha, and in another she was called Dorcas. Both names mean the same thing. A gazelle, a graceful animal a bit like a deer, with big, gentle eyes. The Bible says she was "full of good works and acts of mercy."

That means she was always looking for ways to help people. Dorcas was very good at sewing. Her needle went in and out, in and out, all day long. She made warm coats and soft clothes, and she gave them to people who needed them. Many of her friends were widows. Their husbands had died, and life was often hard for them.

So Dorcas made sure they had clothes to keep them warm. Every stitch was a little bit of love. Can you picture her, sitting by the window with the waves splashing outside, sewing a coat for someone who was cold?

But one day, Dorcas became very sick. Her friends took care of her, but she did not get better. And sadly, Dorcas died.

They gently laid her in a quiet room upstairs. Everyone was so very sad.

Then someone remembered that Peter, one of Jesus' closest friends, was in a town nearby, called Lydda. Peter had just helped a sick man there, in Jesus' name. Maybe he could help them too. So they sent two men to find him. They begged him to come right away. Peter got up and went with them.

When he arrived, they took him upstairs to the room where Dorcas lay. All the widows stood around Peter, crying. They showed him the coats and clothes that Dorcas had made for them. Each one was a reminder of her kind hands, and her kind heart.

Peter asked everyone to leave the room. Then he knelt down, and he prayed.

The room was very quiet. Outside, the waves rolled softly onto the shore.

Then Peter turned toward her, and he said, "Tabitha, get up!"

And Dorcas opened her eyes! She saw Peter, and she sat up. Peter gave her his hand, and helped her to her feet. Then he called all her friends back into the room, and showed them that she was alive!

Can you imagine their faces? Their tears of sadness turned into tears of joy. It wasn't Peter's own power that did it. It was God, who heard Peter's prayer and gave Dorcas her life back. Soon, everyone in Joppa had heard what happened, and "many believed in the Lord." And I like to think that before long, her needle was going in and out, in and out, once again.

This story teaches us that being kind can be as simple as using our hands to help.

Every kind thing we do, big or small, matters to God, and to the people we help.