8 Feb, 2007
Intentional Acts of Kindness
Do you like stories that get passed around on the Internet? There’s one story I read and loved several years ago. Unfortunately it’s been on the Internet for quite a few years now and has been greatly embellished. The current story is about a young man named Kyle who was considering suicide after being bullied. This is how the real story goes:One day there was a boy walking with his books in hand. He tripped and his books came tumbling down along with him. Another boy saw this and went to help him. After helping him up they both spent the rest of the afternoon together. During the next months and years they see each other sporadically in school and are friendly to each other. One day the first young man, in a private conversation, tells his friend who helped him that he had planned on killing himself the day they met but ended up spending the day with him instead.
Helping someone pick up their books might seem like nothing, but we never know what an act of kindness means to others. In fact, we never know when God puts people, friends, or family in our path who need something we have or can get for them. We may never know whose life we changed through one act!
Luke 5:18-20
18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
Luke 5:25-26
25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” (ESV)
What happened?
Here are two guys who have a paralyzed friend. They care about their friend so much that they are willing to do whatever it takes for their friend to get healthy. It’s possible their friend could have been so frustrated with life that he may not have even wanted to try anything else. His friends were determined to get him into that house because they knew Jesus could help. Jesus looks at them and tells them that because of THEIR faith, their paralyzed friend’s sins were forgiven, and his body was healed.How can you connect God’s Story to your life?
Getting Your Story connected to God’s Story starts the process of taking your eyes off your own needs and putting a new focus on what others need. Living with Jesus in you raises the compassion you feel for others. When you see someone in trouble and you feel God’s compassion n you, act on it. Do something to help.
It’s so easy to see your friends and family who don’t know God’s Story and just ignore them and do your own thing. But God shows us that sometimes it really depends on us to bring our friends to Jesus and to love them just as God would. Just taking time to do a small act of kindness could mean a whole new life for those people around you. It changed the life of the paralyzed man and it saved the life of the boy who was considering suicide.
How can you connect God’s Story and Your Story to others?
- Put up your compassion antenna. Stop, look and listen for people close to you who are hurting.
- Ask God to help you show his love to your friends and the people in your life you don’t know.
- Pray for these hurting people asking God to speak to them.
- Take action and do something — a word of encouragement, an act of friendship or a sacrificial gift of love.
- When the right opportunity comes tell them about the hope and help you have found in Jesus. They will be ready to listen.
- May 2008 [8]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [19]
- January 2008 [21]
- December 2007 [20]
- November 2007 [19]
- October 2007 [20]
- September 2007 [19]
- August 2007 [20]
- July 2007 [18]
- June 2007 [19]
- May 2007 [18]
- April 2007 [13]
- March 2007 [17]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [9]
- December 2006 [6]
- November 2006 [15]
- October 2006 [18]
- September 2006 [12]
- August 2006 [17]
- July 2006 [14]
- June 2006 [4]
