How do you pick & choose to whom in your life you will be kindhearted? How do you decide which of your family members is worthy of your respect & devotion? What is your method in determining which of your friends will be your "best" friends? How can you so easily turn your back on the ones who have loved you, provided for you, and made the most difficult sacrifices for you?
Luke 6:32-33 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same."
If we, as Christians, are only nice to those who are nice to us, then we are no better than all the unbelievers in the world! How will the "not nice" people ever learn to be nice?
If I only reached out in love to those who have shown love to me, what a small world I would live in! I guess with the life experiences I've had, I can be gruff and a bit untrusting(?) at times. But in my defense, I've trusted to the point that I've been hurt deeply many, many times, and those hurts all happened before I had the love of my Savior, Jesus Christ. He has shown me (mostly through His Word) that I can love and I can trust, and most of all that HE loves me even if no one else on earth does!
I love so many people who don't return that love. Some of them know who they are, and others don't even realize (or care about) the hurt they cause my heart. Yet I choose to keep on loving them, even though I don't particularly like them sometimes or don't always agree with the way they choose to behave. I don't expect them to love me back, because we are not to expect anything in return. My reward will be in heaven, when the Father looks at how well I loved others, even the ones who are difficult to love.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Do Unto Others - Part I
How do you pick & choose to whom in your life you will be kindhearted? How do you decide which of your family members is worthy of your respect & devotion? What is your method in determining which of your friends will be your "best" friends? How can you so easily turn your back on the ones who have loved you, provided for you, and made the most difficult sacrifices for you?
Most people have the attitude that "If they're nice to me, I'll be nice to them;" this is the world's view. But the Bible says in Luke 6:31 (and it's a direct quote from Jesus) "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." In other words, "Treat others as you would like to be treated."
How many of us actually practice this? I believe it's easier to be kind to strangers than to those who are closest to us. Perhaps this is because there is so little at stake. One can bestow kindness upon a stranger - be it food, or money, or assistance - and be gone. Nothing more is required, right? WRONG! What most of us fail to do is follow up. Oh, it's great to say you did something nice for someone, but how did your action(s) change their life? Do you ever follow up to see if their needs are still being met, or if they have other needs? If the person(s) involved is not a believer, did you share the Gospel of Christ with them? Did you invite them to your Sunday School class or to church? Did you pray with/for them? Can you even remember their name(s)?
It's less obvious to see the needs of those who are closer to us, those with whom we interact on a daily or weekly basis. What acts of service do you do for your loved ones? We take for granted that the struggles we see are a normal part of life, and think there is nothing we can do to help. Truth is, if we paid more attention to those in our own household (i.e., our family members) we could find numerous ways to help them. The most obvious thing to do is pray. Intercessory prayer (praying on behalf of others) is a privilege, and should be a part of our daily prayer life. Asking God's strength for the person who is struggling or hurting is asking his blessing on them. Stepping in to help without being asked can be an incredible burden lifter. Think before opening your mouth to ask "favors" or make demands. Take into account what they may be facing that day (things you may not know about). In short, be a little unselfish with your time.
It would be great if everyone performed random acts of kindness ("See a need, fill a need"), but the reality is that while many hear the call to help a brother or sister in need, very few individuals actually heed the call and take action. Make a conscious effort to be kind to someone - whether it be a stranger, and acquaintance, or a loved one - every day for a month. Keep a log so you can remember to pray for each one daily. Then review it at the end of the month to see how you did. You'll be surprised at how much - or how little - gets accomplished!
Most people have the attitude that "If they're nice to me, I'll be nice to them;" this is the world's view. But the Bible says in Luke 6:31 (and it's a direct quote from Jesus) "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." In other words, "Treat others as you would like to be treated."
How many of us actually practice this? I believe it's easier to be kind to strangers than to those who are closest to us. Perhaps this is because there is so little at stake. One can bestow kindness upon a stranger - be it food, or money, or assistance - and be gone. Nothing more is required, right? WRONG! What most of us fail to do is follow up. Oh, it's great to say you did something nice for someone, but how did your action(s) change their life? Do you ever follow up to see if their needs are still being met, or if they have other needs? If the person(s) involved is not a believer, did you share the Gospel of Christ with them? Did you invite them to your Sunday School class or to church? Did you pray with/for them? Can you even remember their name(s)?
It's less obvious to see the needs of those who are closer to us, those with whom we interact on a daily or weekly basis. What acts of service do you do for your loved ones? We take for granted that the struggles we see are a normal part of life, and think there is nothing we can do to help. Truth is, if we paid more attention to those in our own household (i.e., our family members) we could find numerous ways to help them. The most obvious thing to do is pray. Intercessory prayer (praying on behalf of others) is a privilege, and should be a part of our daily prayer life. Asking God's strength for the person who is struggling or hurting is asking his blessing on them. Stepping in to help without being asked can be an incredible burden lifter. Think before opening your mouth to ask "favors" or make demands. Take into account what they may be facing that day (things you may not know about). In short, be a little unselfish with your time.
It would be great if everyone performed random acts of kindness ("See a need, fill a need"), but the reality is that while many hear the call to help a brother or sister in need, very few individuals actually heed the call and take action. Make a conscious effort to be kind to someone - whether it be a stranger, and acquaintance, or a loved one - every day for a month. Keep a log so you can remember to pray for each one daily. Then review it at the end of the month to see how you did. You'll be surprised at how much - or how little - gets accomplished!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Bring On The Wrinkles!
Now I'm not sure how old "Mamaw" Gladys Pierce is, but she's led a very full life. She always had a kind word, and was quick with witty comebacks to everyone's kidding around. The love of God was written all over her face. I sat in front of her and her daughter, Sue, at church for several months. I looked forward each service to her hugs - good, strong, "I mean it!" hugs - before, during & after church. Right around Thanksgiving (I think), she became ill & was having trouble with her heart. She was in & out of the hospital, and Sue was having to deal with working while her mother was ill.
Well, as often happens, meaning to get over to see her never happened. Then AC & I moved to GA, and our weekend visits home left little time to go see her. So when Phyllis asked if I'd like to go, I jumped at the opportunity. Let me tell you, I wouldn't have traded those 40 minutes for a visit with anyone else on earth! I don't think she knew who we were, but the joy in her face at having visitors was evident. We kidded around, hugged, talked about the Lord, and prayed, and we even got her playing some memory exercises for a bit. Phyllis is a name freak, so she asked Gladys what her mother's name was. Gladys' answer? "Guess." So we guessed, asking for the first letter of the name, and as we got closer, she would tell us so.
I marvelled out loud at how soft her hands were while I held one in my hand & rubbed it against my cheek. She said, "Want to know what makes them so soft?" Of course, I said, "Yes." "Wrinkles!", she replied, with a sly little grin. What a hoot!
We asked what she had eaten, and after telling us, she said what she'd really like is some pinto beans & cornbread, and some milk. We said we'd check into getting some for her, and she said she wouldn't be there to eat it. When we asked why, she pointed toward heaven & said, "I'll be up there." I laughed & cried at the same time, telling her I was jealous that she was going to the banquet table!
As it came time for us to go, she asked if we could finish our errands later. (Breaks the heart, doesn't it?) I said that if we stayed, I'd have to crawl up there beside her & snuggle up, to which she replied, "Why don't you?" So I did, for just a moment.
Don't miss out on moments like this! Go out of your way, make time to visit somebody, spend time you think you don't have to make someone smile. You'll not only make them feel better, but you will, too! Life's too short to be so busy that you miss out on life's little moments.
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