Love in Action

Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

─ 1 Corinthians 13:13

“I want to dance.” These are words that many moms hear at some point. But for Christina Smallwood, they were heartbreaking. After all, when her daughter Finley was born, the doctors said she might never walk or talk. Diagnosed with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, a neurological illness that caused her lower leg muscles to spasm involuntarily, Finley’s prognosis wasn’t sunny.

But when two-year-old Finley saw a young dancer online, she announced, “I wanna stand up and dance.” And Christina set out to make it happen. It would begin with a surgery that might help her walk. One that was expensive and not covered by the Smallwoods’ insurance.

Inspired by other online videos raising money and awareness for illnesses, Christina and a friend set up a fundraising page and filmed Finley dancing with her mom and challenging others to dance too. And pretty soon the whole town—firefighters, policemen and even the local news—had joined in the video fun. People they knew and people they would never meet donated to the surgery fund, which reached $70,000.

Christina loved her daughter so much that she began a campaign to provide for her the thing she wanted most in life.

Our Heavenly Father has done the same. His love for us is beyond compare. And before we even realized our need for Him, He provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him—through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. We didn’t even know what to ask for, and He poured out His love on us. That kind of love isn’t just an emotion or a feeling, it’s an action.

Christina Smallwood’s love is a reflection of just that. She’s poured out her love for her daughter through surgery and months of recovery. She’s encouraged and fought to give her a chance to embrace her dreams.

A year after her surgery, Finley is beginning to take her first unassisted steps. Love in action has changed her life. God’s love in action has changed ours.

Today’s One Thing

Help a friend begin to follow their dreams. Pour out your love on someone who needs a boost.

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