Paul lays out rules for helping widows. It is clear that he believes Christians should provide care for widows but the care is provided for within boundaries. He offers qualifications for receiving the support and conditions under which the widow should not receive support. He understands that there are circumstances in which it is better to not help the widow.
My tendency is to want to help anyone who asks. I don't want to be the uncaring person who says "no" to a person in need. Yet, there are times when by "helping" the person I may make myself feel better but I am not providing the assistance the person really needs.
We want to be generous. Yet, we should be clear on our motives when we help another. Does our motive arrive out of concern for the other person or out of our desire to feel good about our actions?
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I didn't realize that Paul put so many "restrictions" on the qualifications of widowhood! I realize that when this was written, there was not much said about divorce except "Don't do it!" However, when I raised my children as a divorced, single mother,there were many times that I really needed help. This was many years ago, and I'm sorry to say that I sometimes felt ostracized from many in my church. My point is that I wish the Bible said something about helping divorcees - especially when they have young children. From talking to people who have been both divorced and widowed, they tell me the divorce holds much greater pain along with challenges.
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