Get the Ball Rolling: Five Simple Invitations

Wrap yourself in kindness

We all know someone who is the perfect picture of a natural helper. They jump at any chance to assist others no matter the cause or the results. We sometimes describe that person as one who would “give the shirt off their backs” to a neighbor or even a stranger. They are completely selfless and, apparently, always think of others first.

Some would say the ultimate, extreme example of selfless love would be the Roman Catholic nun, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India. No matter which faith we are part of, we can recognize that as a humanitarian, she gave her whole being in service to the poor, homeless, and orphans. Mother Teresa died at age 87, but not before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Yet, amazingly, those of us who willingly help our friends, neighbors and even family can endure uncalled for criticism from others. Even Mother Teresa received much public blame and disapproval for her “encouragement” of suffering and pain with no solutions. This type of misplaced judgment of others belongs not to humans, but only to God.

Five Simple Invitations

There are so many ways to help others it’s impossible to even list. Extending our resources, time, gifts, and talents to those in need is an individual act of kindness left only to our own imagination. On a daily basis, lifting a hand to someone is not that hard and is always encouraged. But how could we enlarge our thinking and make sharing a permanent way of life?

• Find what we are good at doing. We all have favorite activities we can use to make life easier for others.
• Schedule our week. Be willing to set aside a small amount of time to make a big difference participating in a worthwhile cause.
• Clean up to help out. Regularly getting rid of clutter in our homes and donating it to an organization or a needy family will encourage someone else.
• Be available and attentive. Some people are shy about asking for help, so if we keep tuned in to their talk or manner, we can recognize a need and readily fill it without being asked.
• Multiplication. If we have been blessed with financial abundance, we can challenge ourselves to make anonymous offerings to a charitable organization, who then turns around and helps those in need.

Doing the Right Thing

After getting into the habit of sharing ourselves with others, we will naturally want to do more and more. And that’s the right thing. God will smile down upon us! Where we must proceed with caution is not letting our pride get in the way and taking all the credit for doing good. Or expecting some kind of heavenly “reward” or “pass” when we leave this world.

Jesus is our only perfect example here. He came to earth to willingly serve with a selfless love. Yet, He suffered in the worst way for doing so. We are unlikely to die on a cross as He did, but we may be criticized for our efforts in serving and giving. If that happens, we are probably on the right track!

"If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought" 1 Peter 3:13-14 The Message.

Getting Rid of Troubles

There are a couple interesting shows on TV about how we all eventually reach a point in our homes when we cannot ignore the numerous piles of junk any longer. Most of us even have the typical “junk drawer” where every bit and piece of our belongings end up in that one spot.

Stacks of magazines we keep for years thinking that after the first reading we will go back someday and re-read them. We justify that kind of hoarding as “reference material” and it makes us feel better than if we called it trash. Many of us gravitate to weekend garage sales (yep, I’m raising my hand too) and purchase another person’s junk they no longer want. Some of it is very useful but, occasionally we buy items just because they look like something we might be able to use. Then we throw them into a box in the garage, forget about them, and they end up in our own garage sale the following year. Oh, my!

Spring cleaning will soon arrive, and we start thinking of what we can do to clear out all the rubbish. If we never, ever discard anything--fearing we will need it someday--we could become a candidate for one of those hoarding shows. It’s like trying to claw our way through a jungle that is about to devour us.

Stress-Free Answers

Those are all lifeless objects that we think we need, so we keep them. It appears our hoarding gives us a sense of security, which of course, is false. But the same thing goes on in our brains, emotions, and spirits. We get bogged down worrying about every little thing, most of which we can do nothing about.

Money, or the lack of it, causes us much stress as most of us know. Don’t get caught believing money provides happiness. It does not! How many famously rich millionaires do we know that are truly happy? It might appear that way at first, but an excess of money generally brings an excess of responsibility, which equals excess stress. Think of all those lottery stories of winners one year after their big win. Many of them are worse off than if they had never gambled because they cannot keep up with all their new possessions. Believe it or not, many fall into bankruptcy when the money is all gone!

Of course, money is not the only worry in life. We can get overwhelmed by relationships that have gone wrong, working in a job we hate, trying to survive after divorce, dealing with child custody, health issues, finding supportive friends, car repairs, anxiety, dieting, disappointment, and doubt. And on, and on, and on.

This is exactly why God commands us [Matthew 6:25-28] not to worry! Notice, it’s not a suggestion. He is serious about this subject. Why? Because worries are endless; they consume us. Only God knows our anguish when worry devours us. He never wants us in that state of unhappiness and mental chaos. And better yet, He has the answers to our dilemmas. He is just waiting for us to come to Him with our concerns.

Beauty Personified

God's world is a thing of beauty!

If we find ourselves completely worry-free (really?), the opposite problem may be our enemy. Pleasure. Too much of the wrong thing can steer us into a state of denial. We find ourselves hanging with an unsuitable crowd. Doing what we never thought we would. Ignoring our standards and principles. Filling every minute of the day and night pursuing bodily enjoyment, earthly treasures, and worshiping ourselves.

Please don’t get the incorrect idea here. God wants us to be happy and content. He is all about us finding our joy. Joy and love in friendships and close relationships. Discovering His plan and purpose for our lives can be the very best kind of pleasure. A fulfillment of everything we hope for. Living in God’s world, where He is ready and able to handle our worries and concerns, will provide us a way to grow stronger and stronger every day. Now, that’s a thing of beauty!

“This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message. The seed that fell among the thorny weeds is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life keep them from growing and producing good fruit” Luke 8:11, 14 NCV.

How Can We Break Hostility?

Striving for harmony

Family relations are all important to each of us. That is because our family is permanent and we will forever be part of them. But these connections are not the same for everyone. We may treasure all the time we can get with family members and stay as close as possible with them. Living in close proximity to each other--so we can enjoy fun activities and outings together--is attractive to many of us.

But this closeness is not always the case with others. Family relations may be strained and lack affection and love. They don’t contain ingredients of harmony and peace. In fact, in some situations, two or more parties within a family may even be exhibiting hostility for various reasons.

Get the Snow Shovel

It’s difficult to determine what brings discord among family or friends. Usually, one particular event involving the other person has set off the cycle of irritation and frustration, that then “snowballs” into a monster of a storm. Just as snow is beautiful as it is falling, it can become a hazard quickly if the accumulation is not kept from piling up. Eventually, someone has to be willing to shovel it away.   

If we stop and think about the relational fallout, we can see that it required two to keep the anger going back and forth. And it requires two to come to an agreement. An unwillingness on either side to forgive the other will result in, perhaps, a lifelong break that will affect all others they each come in contact with during their lives.

Excellence in Friendships

Reconciling with a family member or developing a relationship with a new friend is motivated solely by love. Without that one element, all other characteristics we claim to have, such as peace, patience, joy, kindness and goodness among others, lack honesty and authenticity.

Since we are humans, obviously, we will not always like what others do or say. This is where patience comes into play. We will be called on to be kind and give the other person the benefit of the doubt. It requires listening with both ears to their side of an issue; to put ourselves into their shoes. All of this is part of love. So we can see, without extending love, there is no receiving love!

Can we really afford to throw out all the love we can get along with the trash? Let’s not even talk about the other person here. Let’s see what happens to ourselves when we casually discard what God intended for us.

Most of us have heard the beautiful Biblical verses from 1 Corinthians 13 normally used at weddings (but they speak to any type of relationship including family and friends) that begin, “Love is patient, love is kind… .” But many of us don’t ever remember what that passage says about the results of choosing not to love another. It might help us to place these reminders on our walls:

Without Love. . .

• 

  Make your life like beautiful music

  We sound like resounding gongs or clanging cymbals.
• We are nothing.
• We gain nothing.
• Envy, boasting, and pride will grow in us.
• Rudeness and selfishness will be a part of us.
• We will display anger and keep a record of wrongs.
• We will ignore the truth.
• We have no protection, trust, hope, or perseverance.
• We are imperfect.
• We are childish.

Renewed Momentum. . .

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love! 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. Proverbs 18:24 (The Message)