A few years ago, there was a
movie made that was called Evan Almighty. This movie was a funny
take-off from the Biblical story of Noah and the ark and actually reinforced
the idea of always obeying God. The events of the story took place in
Washington, D.C. and dealt with the life of a new congressman named Evan. He
was elected and then sent there to represent the people from his state. The
move, the family adjustments, and the excitement of being elected to office was
a big change to his life, but he was coping with it all.... that is, until
"God" showed up.
God (whose part was played by
Morgan Freeman) came to Evan and told him to build an ark just like Noah did.
Through a series of very funny and "God" controlled events, the ark
eventually gets built and winds up providing the means of safety for the area
people who experience a flood from a broken dam. God's plans proved to be the
best for everyone in order to survive the danger.
At one point in the movie, God
takes Evan aside and writes the letters A R K on the ground. Then, during their
conversation, He illustrates that the letters stand for Acts of Random
Kindness. The point was made, and it
was a good ending to an enjoyable family movie.
Normally, we use the phrase arraigned
a little differently than the movie did. We will say random acts of kindness
when talking about the concept of spontaneously doing good for others.
This is a really good idea to
follow as we live our lives daily. Can you imagine? People just randomly doing
kind things for others......this would radically change the face of
Christianity before the world!
As I thought about this concept,
it suddenly dawned on me that in doing acts of kindness toward others, my
attitude would be a vital factor in the whole process.
Let me explain.
One of the biggest pet peeves
that I have is when people leave shopping carts out in a store parking lot.
They usually block all sorts of paths and parking places and wind up making me
so frustrated and angry! Then one day I decided to do something about it. From
then on, when I would go shopping, I parked my car and would....very much on
purpose.... find a buggy (or sometimes two) in the parking lot and push them
into the store as I walked. I felt a certain self-righteousness as I did it,
and honestly, thought that I was acting much better than those people who were
so inconsiderate to others (meaning me) by leaving their carts scattered
everywhere.
What I was doing may have been
helping others, but my attitude was one of self-righteousness and anger. My
attitude would have cleared a whole room full of skunks.........
The random act of kindness that
I attempted was anything but.......
Later on, (as God was continuing
His work within me) I began to realize that what I was doing by moving the
shopping carts really could be a blessing to someone who would come that way
later. I saw that the Lord could use me to bless someone who may never know
that I did anything at all to help them today.
I kind of liked that.....
My attitude changed as I talked
to the Lord about it, and the parking lot changed from being a source of
frustration to a serious place of opportunity to show kindness.
I even began picking up nails or
screws that I would see on the parking lot thinking of the lady with a van full
of kids who might now avoid having a flat tire. I could envision someone in a
great hurry on important business not being delayed, or maybe a little old lady
not having to face the fear and trouble of a flat.
I began to find joy when the
random act of kindness began to be a ministry within me. God was using me to
bless others who I probably would never meet and who would never know about it!
We need to remember this when
doing our acts of kindness:
Attitude matters.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Now let me tell you about Tammy
and Becky.
On this particular morning, after
leaving the house, I was trying to determine where I might stop for some quick
breakfast, and while I was at it, spend a few minutes writing this blog. After
considering my choices, I decided to stop at a Chick-fil-A close to my house.
Walking up to the counter, I
scanned the menu and ordered one of my favorite breakfast sandwiches. As the
cashier (whose name was Becky) rang up my order, I reached for my wallet and
discovered that I had not picked it up before leaving home.
This was one of those awkward,
embarrassing moments that everyone experiences at some time or other.
Red faced, I began to speak to
Becky as she was trying to fill my order and explain my situation to her. She
reacted very kindly and said to me, "Don't worry about it. I will give you
the ticket, and you can drop by later today to pay it." If you have ever
found yourself in a similar situation, you can imagine not only my great
appreciation for how Becky brought ease to the situation, but also for the fact
that she trusted me to return.
Then, it was time for Tammy to
come into this picture.
I'm not sure how long she had
been observing my awkward situation, but the Lord had presented her with an
opportunity to display kindness to someone she had never met. She, on purpose,
stepped forward and generously said, "I have a solution for this, I would
like to pay for his breakfast."
I was blown away and blessed by
the kind act of this lady!
I tried, but there were not
enough words to express my gratefulness to her.
As I sat eating my meal, working
on my blog, and contemplating all of this, I began to understand that the
events of my life this morning all were orchestrated by the Lord to give this
opportunity to Tammy so that she could show a beautiful act of kindness to
someone.
Just think of all the events that
had to come about in perfect order:
-- the time that I got up this
morning
-- the time that I left home
-- the forgetting of my wallet
-- showing up at that Chick-fil-A
the time of the morning I did
(I had several choices of where I
could have gone for breakfast!)
-- also, the events in Tammy's
life were coordinated so that she would be standing at the counter the same
time I was during my awkward situation.
I gathered some insight from
this....
Not only does the Lord want us to
show kindness to others, but He, on purpose, provides us with opportunities to
do so all the time. He orders the daily events of our lives to bring us into
places and situations that give us the privilege to represent Him by our kind
actions. When we are living in "alert mode", it is easier to see the
opportunities provided for us so that we may allow those kind acts to flow from
us into the lives of others.
Tammy and Becky were alert today,
and God used them to do something kind to someone in need.
-------------------------------------------------------
Another dimension of this concept
of doing kind acts was opened to me as I talked with my wife the other day.
While she had been out shopping,
the Lord had used her to do a random act of kindness to someone. Afterwards,
she shared with me the event and expressed that the Lord had spoken to her
heart about it. The thought that the Lord gave her was this..... Why do random
acts of kindness have to be so random? For a believer, shouldn't these acts
just be a normal way of life for us?
Absolutely beautiful!!!! (the thought and my wife, of course.)
I love what she said!
Christians being kind as a way of
life!!
This made me think:
Way too much of my life is spent
being all about me.
v
My thoughts
v
My goals
v
My plans
v
My job
v
My family
v
My education
v
My church
v
My ministry
v
My bills
v
My car
v
My vacation
v
My stuff
v
My needs
v
My wants
v
Bla...bla...bla...
If I wrote a diary of all the
events in my life for one day, what percent of it would be encompassed with the
above ideas?
Only the brave should try
it....we may not like what we would find.....
-----------------------------------
Jesus organized His life around
others and His acts of kindness were not random but on purpose. Should not our
lives shoot for the same goal?
The Scripture expresses it so
well to us all:
Matthew
7:12 NLT
12
"Do to others whatever you
would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is
taught in the law and the
prophets.
Colossians
3:12 NLT
12
Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with
tenderhearted mercy, kindness,
humility, gentleness, and patience.
Ephesians
4:31-32 NLT
31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as
well as all types of evil
behavior.
32
Instead, be kind to each other,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as
God
through Christ has forgiven
you.
Our obedience to these simple
statements would revolutionize the church within and be a catalyst that the
Holy Spirit could use to revolutionize the world also. What a wonderful idea.
------Just imagine..... all
Christians doing kind things to others all the time......wow!-------
The early church had an awesome
testimony by the things that they were doing for others, and many came to
Christ because of it.
Acts 2:43-47
NLT
43
A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many
miraculous
signs and wonders.
44
And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.
45
They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
46
They worshiped together
at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and
shared
their meals with great joy and generosity--
47
all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.
And each day the
Lord added to their
fellowship those who were being saved.
Performing acts of kindness is a
wonderful personal ministry that the Lord gives to each of us, and honestly,
it's not hard to be kind if we really want to be. We can start with showing
kindness to our spouses, children, and friends. It will then begin to flow out
to others.......
We just need to be alert to the Holy Spirit's
leadership and be ready to serve the Lord as He places the opportunities in
front of us.
Check this out:
Matthew
25:35-40 NLT
35
For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a
drink. I was a
stranger, and you invited
Me into your home.
36
I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me.
I was in prison,
and you visited Me.'
37
"Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see
You hungry and feed
You? Or
thirsty and give You something to drink?
38
Or a stranger and show You hospitality? Or naked and give You clothing?
39
When did we ever see You sick or in prison and visit You?'
40
"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of
these My brothers and sisters, you were doing
it to Me!'
Humbly Submitted,
Dan
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