May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Luke 6:32-36
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to
you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to
you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect
repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners,
expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to
them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great,
and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the
ungrateful and wicked. Be
merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Have you seen the movie Jesus Revolution?
I would have been 11-14 years old at the time and
remember hearing the stories and reading the Time magazine article. Even in
Ohio the effects of the Jesus Revolution reverberated. A hand with the index
finger pointing upward and a cross beside it became the symbol for young
Christians across the country. Our church had a vibrant youth group, and it was
a time of living on fire for Jesus.
When I walked out of the movie with James, Sara,
and Eli my heart overflowed with gratitude to the Californian preacher who saw
those who were different, the hippies, as people whom God loved. Then I
wondered how often I overlook people because they are different from me.
Did you know the flower of Scotland is a thistle? In our country the thistle is considered a weed. Am I seeing weeds where God sees flowers?
In Luke 6, Jesus minced no words about who
Christians should help and care for. He says to love our enemies. I’m guessing
the preacher in California looked on the hippies as enemies or at least
outcasts, but Jesus opened his heart.
Is it easy to love the unlovable? No. Yet, Jesus
is specific. Be kind to everyone.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in
Christ God forgave you.
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.
Tim and I stopped in for breakfast at a little diner near
our home. The menu tempted me with so many choices. When a waitress stopped by
our table, we both ordered coffee, then waited for her to return. With coffee
in our cups, we placed our orders. "I would like to try the waffle with
blueberries and a scrambled egg." I don't often ask for waffles, but I
thought I'd give it a try, and with blueberries how could I go wrong. She came
back to the table, head hanging, and told me, "We are out of the mix. I'm
so sorry, what else would you like? We have French toast with
blueberries."
I smiled and ordered the French toast. As we waited on our
order, we sipped our coffee, and talked about the Reds, the book I'm working on,
and what we planned for the rest of the day. Not long after, the waitress
placed a plate of French toast and blueberries in front of me that looked
heavenly. Again, she apologized, but I stopped her. "I love French toast
and blueberries. I was getting the waffle just to try something different."
She sighed with relief and hurried to the next table.
The waitress didn't know me, yet she wanted me to enjoy my
breakfast. She had no idea French toast reminds me of my dad, who made it for
us on Saturday mornings. Even though, she didn't know me, she was kind and wanted
the best for me.
What if I passed along her caring attitude and her desire to
make my day better? That's called kindness, folks. Simply caring for the people
around me and considering their needs ahead of my own, both those I know and
those I don't. Did I mention, she was the only one working the floor, clearing
the tables, and taking orders? Yet she wore a smile and spread kindness all
over the room.
Paul penned in his letter to the Ephesian church a segment
about Christian living. One of the things he mentioned at the end, and I
believe he did that to emphasize the point, was to be compassionate and kind to
each other. As believers and followers of Jesus I want to show kindness to
others, not simply because Paul said so, but because the act of caring creates
a better environment for everyone and shares the love of Jesus.
Join me in finding ways to be kinder and more caring.
Proverbs 16:23-24
The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
and their lips promote instruction.
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
The purple powder puffs attracted bees.
Along the shore of Lake Erie, on a Port Clinton beach,
nodding thistle grew. Their purple heads bobbed in the breeze as bees buzzed
around them. The little winged creatures sought out the sweet nectar the
thistle offered. So content to collect the liquid from the plant, the bees
ignored me as I snapped their photo. They were intent on gathering the
ingredients to make honey, a sweet reward.
Unfortunately, in our busy lives sweetness doesn't always
abound. Have you ever said something you wished you could take back as soon as
the words left your mouth? I have. Instead of lifting someone up; I said things
that hurt. In junior high school, before I became a Christian, I remember
saying something offensive to a girl I barely knew, to this day I wish I hadn't
said anything. I not only hurt her feelings, but I carried the burden of speaking
without thinking with me. I don't even remember what I said, but I know it upset
her.
Maybe it's a good thing the pain I caused stayed with me—as
a reminder that God wants me to choose my words wisely, to run what I say
through His filter and determine if it is hurtful or kind. The lesson has stuck
with me for years.
Every person is going through something. Difficulties have
touched everyone, especially during the pandemic. Proverbs tells me gracious
and kind words sooth and heal. With February proclaimed the month of love, help
me spread love, kindness, and joy to every person. Instead of spitting negative
thoughts into the air, let honey pour from our lips.
Speak with the graciousness and spread God's love.
Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you
has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over
all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect
unity.
Glitter, sparkle, shine, but most of all be kind.
When my kids were growing up, our home was kind of messy. We
crafted, drew, glued, and sewed. If the girls had a school project with friends,
our house was often the one where they made dioramas, science projects, and book
reports. On Valentine's Day and Christmas the cards required as much glitter as
they would hold. Little hands scattered the shiny sparkles over white glue and
made a fine mess. Sort of like the sprinkles we shook over Christmas cookies. When
I attempted to vacuum the tiny, sparkly pieces, I inevitably left some behind. It
seemed like I'd find glitter for months, after a project.
What would the world look like if we sprinkled kindness and
compassion like glitter? So much so, that the kindness stuck around and was
difficult to remove. In the third chapter of Colossians, Paul addresses the
church. A place where kindness and compassion should indeed be present. Yet, he
had to remind the very people who said they loved Jesus to be kind. I imagine
if Paul lived today, he would preach his message in homes,
workplaces, at sporting events, and in public spaces.
In a world where we can be anything, shouldn't we be kind? Considerate?
Thoughtful? And shouldn't those traits be so ingrained we don't have to think
about them. I know sometimes I don't feel kind, I get grumpy like everyone
else, but Jesus calls me to have compassion, so I need to work on that daily.
Jesus loves people. When he walked the earth, he showed
kindness. Even when he rebuked or corrected someone, he did it with love.
Sprinkle kindness like glitter, so it sticks around.
Book Description:
What does it mean to be a best spuddy? Spend the day with Pugtato and his very
best spuddies and find out! A best spuddy likes to play and listen, share, and
give a helping hand. Spend time with Pugtato and his very best spuddies as they
show us exactly how to be a best spuddy too.
Pugtato, Let’s Be Best Spuddies:
My Thoughts:
Children will love the fun illustrations in Pugtato, Let’s Be Best Spuddies
while adults will enjoy the thoughtful lessons the Spuddies share. From Tomatoad
to Croccoli to Unicorn on the Cob, little ones will laugh and learn as they read
this delightful book. This would be perfect for family time, preschool, or
grandma’s lap. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions
expressed in this review are completely my own.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not
giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
I didn’t care about fashion. Shopping left me exhausted, and my hair style skills stopped with braids.
Growing up, I was a tomboy. I’d rather climb a tree or tromp
through the woods, than primp and play with make-up. Then God gave me three
girls. Instead of focusing on their appearance (although they were always beautiful)
I made a point to instill in them the importance of encouraging and loving each
other. Many times through the years, I gave a speech reminding them their friends
might come and go, but your sister will always be your sister.
It’s been a joy for me to see my girls grow close to each
other and support one another. Despite my inability to raise girls in a girly
way, God helped me teach them a love for truth, independence to know they could
accomplish what the Lord set before them, and the desire to encourage and help
others.
There is a meme on social media that says something like, “Be
the woman who fixes another woman's crown without telling the world it was
crooked.” Men and women, we all need to encourage each other with kind words
and heartfelt gestures. Don’t point out the difficulty, instead quietly lend a
loving hand and encourage your friend, family member, or even a stranger.
The Hebrews writer says to urge each other to love. What’s
that look like? In 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 we find love is patient, kind, thankful,
humble, unselfish, calm, and doesn’t carry grudges, rejoices with the
truth, protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. That’s quite a list, but if
each of us would embrace the love God outlined, we’d build each other up and
find the world a kinder more considerate place.
As Jesus’ followers were not called to judge and fight, we’re
asked to remind others of their worth to God. He created every one of us in his
image. An image which includes loving others. He knows our hearts and has a
desire for us to love Him and the people around us.
Encourage one another with kind words and heartfelt gestures.
Matthew
1:19-21, 24-25
Because Joseph her [Mary] husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want
to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But
after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home
as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She
will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he
will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph trusted the Lord.
As a child, I
heard the story of Jesus' birth. We learned of the trek to Bethlehem, angels
singing, shepherds visiting, and of course Mary giving birth to the baby Jesus.
I imagined the animals surrounding the manger, the sheep baaing and cows
mooing. But I didn't give much thought to Joseph. In the story, he knocks on
the inn keeper's door and he leads Mary to the stable. I knew he was present,
yet he disappeared into the background.
What I've learned since:
Thank
goodness the angel gave Joseph the low down on God's plan. On hearing the
angel's words, he could have run the other way. Joseph could have laughed in the
angel's face. Instead, he chose to trust God's plan. His faith overcame his
fear.
This year
the holidays don't seem the same. Some traditions may not happen. Gatherings
may look different. Illness may hamper plans. The sadness and stress of 2020
may drag us down. Yet as we celebrate Jesus' birth, let's delight in the Lord
with faith like Joseph. He tossed his fears aside and trusted in God. If Joseph
could do that in his circumstance, surely we can too.
I pray as we
head into the Christmas season, we consider Joseph's faith and his trust in God.
Click to tweet: Faith like Joseph
Love Is Kind is a heartwarming story about
Little Owl who hopes to buy his grammy a heart-shaped box of chocolates for her
birthday. On his quest for the chocolates, he’s thwarted at every turn, but
ends up discovering the real meaning of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13.
Told in simple prose by bestselling author Laura Sassi, this heartfelt and
humorous picture book is a sweet reminder that real love isn’t found in a box –
even one filled with chocolates. Love
Is Kind takes a charming and gentle approach to teaching kids the true
meaning of love, while celebrating the bonds that kids have with their
grandparents, and the many forms that love and happiness can take.
Some of my favorite princesses joined me at the theater to see the new Cinderella movie. All girls, 8-108 will fall in love with this magical story once again. The detail is amazing, the setting perfect, the costumes gorgeous, and the characters delightful. Lily James sweetness shined through Ella's misfortune. Cate Blanchett played the evil step-mother to a tee. Holliday Grainger and Sophia McShera's rendition of the step-sisters left me laughing out loud. And the prince, Richard Madden, was certainly charming. Disney did a fantastic job bringing this timeless tale to life.
I'm taking an online class to prepare me to help students with reference questions in the library where I work. Several years ago I helped people find information in the public library. Things have changed. An increase in online databases, e-books, and search engines has updated the face of gathering information. But, even as the techniques get more sophisticated, the most basic element of helping someone hasn't changed.