Tabitha

She Got Up: A Mother’s Day Reflection on Tabitha from Acts 9

By [Your Name]

Scripture: Acts 9:36–43 (CEB)
Themes: resurrection, compassion, women in Scripture, hope, grief, everyday discipleship

There is a disciple in Joppa.

Not an apostle. Not a preacher.
A disciple—that’s what Luke calls her in the Book of Acts.
The only woman in the New Testament given that title.

Her name is Tabitha—also known as Dorcas, which means Gazelle.
A woman with two names and one purpose:
to care, to clothe, to show up when the world frays at the seams.

Tabitha didn’t just sew garments—
she mended people.

A Story of Resurrection and Hope in the Everyday

When Tabitha died—suddenly and without explanation—
her community did something faithful and bold:
They didn’t bury her.
They washed her body
and laid her in an upper room.

It wasn’t just tradition.
It was an act of defiant hope.
A refusal to say the story was over.

“We’re not ready to let go.
God might still have something to say.”

💬 Reflection Question:

What’s one time you chose hope over closure?
When have you waited in the “upper room” of your own story, unsure but still holding on?

Holding Tenderness on Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day, and for many of us, that means a mix of emotion.
For some, it’s flowers and phone calls.
For others, it’s silence.
For some, it’s joy and celebration.
And for others, it’s grief, absence, or complicated memory.

If your heart feels full, fractured, or somewhere in between—
this story is for you.

Tabitha was one of those people who kept the world going quietly.
She wasn’t loud.
She wasn’t in charge.
She simply noticed, nourished, and nurtured.

When she died, the widows she cared for didn’t give Peter a sermon.
They held up the garments she made and said:

“Look.
This is who she was.
This is what she gave.”

When Resurrection Looks Like Showing Up

Peter arrives.
He goes upstairs.
He kneels.
He prays.
Then he says:

“Tabitha, get up.”

And she does.

But getting up is no small thing.
It’s not just physical—it’s emotional, spiritual, vulnerable.
It means stepping back into grief, imperfection, and the never-finished work of compassion.

Sometimes we talk about resurrection like a celebration.
But sometimes, resurrection looks like:

• Opening your eyes again
  
  

• Taking one more breath
  
  

• Saying yes when rest seemed easier
  
  

💬 Reflection Question:

Have you ever been called back to something after you thought it was over?
What did it cost you to get back up?

Grace Has the Final Word

Maybe Tabitha didn’t want to get up.
Maybe death felt like the first deep rest she’d had in years.
But she heard her name, and she opened her eyes.

Not because she had to.
Not because people needed her.
But because God wasn’t done with her yet.

Maybe God isn’t done with you either.

If life has flattened you…
If compassion has left you feeling invisible or drained…
If you’re grieving or giving or just surviving…

Hear this:

God is not done with you.
And resurrection doesn’t always look like a miracle.
Sometimes it looks like sewing one more hem.
Showing up for one more person.
Letting someone show up for you.

💬 Reflection Question:

Where do you feel called to “get up” again—
but differently this time, with more support and more grace?

The Gift of Tabitha’s Story

This is the blessing of Tabitha’s story on Mother’s Day:

Whether you’re a mother or not,
whether you’re grieving or rejoicing,
whether you’re barely holding it together or rising with quiet strength…

There is room for you here.

The One who called her name?
Still calls yours.
With tenderness.
With persistence.
With resurrection.

She got up.
You can, too.

Not because the world needs fixing—
but because you are beloved,
and grace has the final word.

Amen.

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