“Hey Allyn or Brandon whichever one you are” my great Aunt Mary exclaimed as she opened her front door. I informed her that it was Allyn and she just laughed and said “it’s hard for an old lady like me to tell you two apart”. “Hurry on in, you know my favorite show is on”. I headed into her living room where the T.V. was tuned into none other than Judge Judy. I took a seat and waited for my 95 year old Aunt Mary to make it back into the living room. One step at a time with the help of her cane, she made it to her usual chair and plopped into her seat. “How are you Aunt Mary?” I asked and she replied “I’m tired! It is hard work doing the same works as Jesus! But quiet down, Judge Judy is on!”
I tried to give my Aunt Mary a break and pay her “same works as Jesus” comment no mind. At 95, she has remained mentally sharp but with a remark like that I couldn’t help but wonder if she was having an off day. Did she really believe she had spent her day giving sight to the blind, healing the sick, raising the dead, calming storms or any of the other great works of Jesus? I merely chalked it up to Father Time and smiled looking at my great Aunt Mary sit contently watching Judge Judy. The moment her favorite show went to commercial my great Aunt uttered “don’t sell me short”.
“I have been volunteering at the Road Ahead center in Newport, News VA since it opened in the 80’s. Every week I go and pass out food, clothing, and other items to assist the less fortunate. So that’s once a week for over 30 years Allyn! Jesus fed thousands! How many do you think I have fed in my lifetime?”
Before I could even grasp the magnitude of that statement she continued on.
“Don’t sell me short, Allyn. The people that walk through the doors of the center are usually in the middle of a major storm in their life? Don’t you think my efforts, my words, my smile could be helping to calm their storm? I helped raised your grandmother and all of her children and all of their children. Don’t you think I might have healed some sick along the way? Now, I left most of the raising of the dead to your grandmother while working for the addiction rehab program at the Veterans hospital. To their closest family and friends those veterans were killed by their addiction. Don’t you think your grandmother’s work helped to bring those people back to life? Hell, I’m given sight to the blind right now! I’m opening your eyes to the potential you have to do great things every day!”
“Don’t sell me short Brandon! I mean Allyn whichever one you are and don’t sell yourself short either”. The man himself said “whoever believes will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things”(John 14:12). So stop short changing us and start believing in the power that we possess. The power to feed the hungry, calm storms, heal the sick, raise the dead and do even greater things”. But know that you can’t do greater things until you first believe you have the ability to do great things!”
All I could say was “Wow Aunt Mary, I think” before she quickly stopped me. My 95 year old great Aunt Mary simply said “hush boy, Judge Judy is back on”.
PeaceofAB 
To me, though I’m admittedly no longer a practising Christian, Jesus’ works were love. He did all of those things, but it all stemmed from love and compassion. Anyone who goes through life, doing acts based out of those is, as far as I’m concerned, doing Jesus’ works.
You can heal a person with a single smile or kind word. You can feed someone’s soul much the same way, and a hug to boot. Being hungry isn’t always about food. Some of the Biblical parables about feeding the hungry may easily be viewed as quenching the soul’s hunger and thirst.
So I think Aunt Mary earned tht one 🙂
Aunt Mary was giving sight to the blind that day by informing me as you so well described that doing acts based on love and compassion is doing the works of Jesus. Be Blessed