Not much is said about this godly woman, but what is said speaks volumes and teaches a great lesson for us all. In Acts 9:36 she is called both Dorcas and Tabitha. This was not at all uncommon during this period in History. The predominant culture of the day was a mixture of Greek and Roman, so many people also had a Greek or Roman translation of the names that were given to them by their parents when they were born. Tabitha is a Syriac word meaning a gazelle or deer. Dorcas is a Greek word that means exactly the same thing in that language.

The apostle Paul was also called Saul. Some think his name was changed when he became a Christian, but that isn’t true. Saul was his Hebrew name and Paul was his Roman name. This was also true in the Old Testament, when foreign powers took captives. They were given a name that was customary in the language of that country. After the Children of Israel were carried away into Babylonian captivity we read: “Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego” (Daniel 1:6-7).

When we meet Dorcas, she has just died in the city of Joppa. Since Peter was only about nine miles away, in Lydda, the disciples sent two men with a message for him to come. From what I read at various internet sites, this was about a three-hour walk (six hours round trip). She must have been loved for someone to make that kind of trek to get the apostle. We are not told, but I think we can conclude the people had faith that Peter could do something – else why send for him in the first place?

When he came to the house and went into the room where her body had been placed, he was met by a group of widows. They were weeping and showing the various pieces of clothing Dorcas had made for them while she was alive. Many times in the Bible the word widow indicated someone without a husband or any male children. A lot of them had to depend on the generosity of others for their livelihood. Realizing this, Dorcas used the talent she had to do for those who needed help. Now, those people were there to honor her memory and let others know how much her acts of kindness meant to them.

What will those who surround you as you lie down for the last time think about you (or me)? What will they share with others? Will they tell of some small kindness, comfort, or some item you gave them when they needed it most? The beauty of it is that we are still on this side of eternity. We can begin doing the things for which we would like to be remembered before we cross that last hurdle of life.

What can you do? What is your talent? It might be great, or it might be small. Regardless, God expects (even demands) that it be used. A woman who had been kind of “housebound” for years, while having to care for one sick relative after another, once told me: “I don’t have any talents. All I do is take care of sick people.” Hey! That is a phenomenal talent.

After asking everyone to clear the room, Peter knelt down and prayed to the Lord. We are not told what he actually said, but when he had finished the scriptures say: “But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive” (Acts 9:40-41).

What was the reason Peter performed this miracle? To be sure, Dorcas could continue to help the widows who depended on her generosity, but there was something more. In verse 42 we read: “And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.” This was the main purpose for miracles during the early years of the Church. They bore witness to the fact that Peter and the other disciples who worked wonders were truly from God, and the words they spoke were confirmed to be true.

All Christian women can be like Dorcas. Whatever our hands have the ability to do, “Do it heartily, as to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22) Jesus said practically the same thing: “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

The Christian life has two great verbs that describes our commitment – Work and Patience. Let us make the words from a verse of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Psalm of Life” our motto as citizens of the Kingdom of the Lord:

“Let us, then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait.”