THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
A Story of Two Widows.

By Rita Westphal December 26th, 2025

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”​ 1 Corinthians 13:13

I don’t recall ever hearing a sermon on James 1:27, that says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” In many societies, the orphans and widows are among the most destitute and vulnerable of all. The orphans become “nobody’s children.” And the widows? An unwanted, and ignored presence.

Anna was widowed with two young boys. She had very few means, and only a basic education, so she worked as a maid, cleaning houses, and whatever else she could find. One day a man stopped by and shared Jesus with her, inviting her to visit a local church. She gladly accepted and was warmly received. Quickly, the church embraced her, and she became a faithful member—fully integrated in the family of God. Members made plans to enroll her boys in church school, and they grew up to be well-educated, extremely successful business men.

Always thankful to the Lord, they continue to be a blessing today, giving millions of dollars to build schools, orphanages, churches, and even Christian radio stations. They never forgot the fellowship and love they’d received since they were children.

But now let me tell you about Fatima. She and her husband arrived in New York from India full of hopes and dreams, but everything was so different that they went through a terrible culture shock and struggled to survive. Fatima carried her pain from church to church—Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant—it didn’t matter. She longed for love and fellowship, but nobody seemed able or willing to help her, and her entire family suffered much depression.​

A few years later, her husband died. Alone and scared, Fatima finally found a steady job, and was able to barely survive. Again she made her rounds of different churches, begging for fellowship and friendship. She quietly asked people to talk to her daughter, who felt abandoned and desperately lonely. Once, she even asked someone if they would consider inviting them over for Christmas, if only for her daughter’s sake! But instead, she was told that there were places that provided food for people who had no place to go during the holidays.​

For twenty years she was unable to find someone willing to share their time.​

Then one day, much later, she noticed a church just a few blocks away that was holding a series of evangelistic meetings, and because she knew so little about prophecy, she decided to attend. As Fatima marveled at the new truths she was discovering, a desire welled up in her to serve the Lord with all her heart. She started passing out literature, and to this day, her greatest joy is to proclaim the love of Jesus! But she still feels a deep longing for the fellowship she craves.​

Sadly, her biggest concern is for her daughter, an extremely intelligent woman who graduated cum laude with a double master’s degree from a top university. Unlike Anna’s children, she may never use her talents for the Lord because she was never shown unconditional love and fellowship as she was growing up.

“This is My commandment,” Jesus said, “that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12. The greatest need people have today is to know that God cares, that Jesus lives, and that He has great plans for us. He wants us to be His family. That’s why He created us! The greatest gift you can give the world is your compassion—and to reflect the great love God has for you.​

Go ahead, wear a smile on your face. Look at the people around you. Touch a hand, give a hug, start a conversation, ask a question, give a compliment. Ask a child or teenager for their name. It will make a difference. Get involved!

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35.