Welcome back to the well! I haven't written here for a few weeks, but I have checked the question each week, pondering and praying over the discussion questions. I am so thankful for Chelsey at Joyfully Living for organizing this awesome spot for women of all walks of life (and places in our faith walks) to gather for encouragement and wisdom.
This week, Lori from I will take it Lord, all You have to give is hosting.
Topic:"Interruptions, Delays and Inconveniences"
Lori reminds us, "Titus 2 reminds us to ...'to be kind,' but are we really as kind as we can be in our daily lives or are we so focused that we only see the interruptions, delays and inconveniences as frustrations instead of the opportunities that lie in them for God to reveal Himself.How do you handle interruptions in your days? Do you plow right on over them missing opportunities God has placed on your path? What interruptions frustrate you the most? How are you working to overcome that?"
I love that Lori brings this topic up! It is sooooo important in today's hustle/bustle, goal-oriented, gotta-finish-my-to-do list generation, and so important as Christ followers. If we look to Jesus, we see that He was so aware of those around Him and no matter how busy He was, He made time for more! (I mean, how much busier could we be than JESUS????)One of my favorite examples of this is when Jesus was going to the home of Jairus to heal his daughter. On the way, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of Jesus' coat and was healed. Now, Jesus could have just kept going. The woman was healed and Jairus and his followers were hurrying Jesus to get to the little girl. But, Jesus stopped to show her kindness. (Matthew 9:18-22, Luke 8:40-48)
One of my greatest challenges is caller i.d.! I am guilty of peeking at the caller i.d. and thinking, "Oh, I just don't have TIME to talk to that person right now!"
But, lately God has been convicting me of answering the call to talk to friends/family and spending time on relationships. There have been several recent conversations lately when I knew that the caller needed a friend and a listening ear. God, in His goodness redeemed my time and I was able to finish my chores. And, when I am "behind" on my "to do" list, God reminds me of the kindness extended and how THAT activity was more important than anything on my LIST!
What we must do is pray to be sensitive the Holy Spirit and His leading. We may not always SEE the person needing a kind word, smile, or help, but the Holy Spirit does. He will whisper to us, lead, and guide us, but we must be listening! And, I try to pray that God would bring people across my path for me to bless.
There are so many hurting people that need to be shown kindness- both unbelievers AND believers! Our husbands.... our children....the people in our every day lives! Sometimes we have no problem extending grace and kindness to strangers, but forget to do it with our own family members! We roll our eyes, sigh heavily, and wonder how the household survives without us!
OUCH!
Am I generous in my kindness? Am I, when showing kindness, doing it "as I am doing it as unto the Lord" or keeping track of my "kind acts" and keeping score?
Have you heard the awesome song by Brandon Heath? Watch the video here. The chorus is my prayer!
Give me your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see... Everything that I keep missing. Give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken-hearted. The ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten. Give me your eyes so I can see.
Lord, I never want to be so busy that I miss the brokenhearted- the one who needs a SMILE....grace....a kind word....
Please visit Lori this morning for more wonderful wisdom on kindness...
7 thoughts shared....:
Ouch indeed! Thank you for the encouragement to show God's love to everyone and at all times. May we be generous with our kindness. Great thought for the day!
Good Morning,
Like you I do look at the called id
on my phone to see who is calling
before I answer. When I see it
is a telemarketing I see red. I am back.....I just had an interruption and yes it was a telemarketing call. I need to
work on this OUCH.....The truth
hurts.
Sarah June
A Day In the Word
"God reminds me of the kindness extended and how THAT activity was more important than anything on my LIST!"
So true, my list can wait. His will for me is what is important. I too am guilty of the caller id avoidance, so this really gave me something to think on. Thanks for sharing that.
Tracy...I'm SOOO glad you came back in for this one! We've missed you at The Well...your words are always so real and right...I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Brandon Heath song....it speaks EXACTLY to this! You are a genius for including it!
It's all in stopping to notice...HIS will, not mine...
Another blessing!
:)
lori
What an incredible video! I'm sure I've heard that song before, but never really listened to the words of it. So powerful. And it fit so perfectly. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome post, Tracy! I love Brandon Heath's song - it has impacted my life in such a powerful way. It has truly helped me seek to see people as God sees them...
You wrote, "What we must do is pray to be sensitive the Holy Spirit and His leading. We may not always SEE the person needing a kind word, smile, or help, but the Holy Spirit does. He will whisper to us, lead, and guide us, but we must be listening! And, I try to pray that God would bring people across my path for me to bless."
Amen, and my heart echoes that prayer.
Wow - that was an awesome post Tracy. What a reminder to me that kindness needs to come from our heart even when we feel like we are too busy. Oh boy I can relate to the caller id aka cell phone - how often we "screen" our calls when we may be passing up an opportunity to minister to someone in need. Putting others first means putting ourselves last! -Blessings to you.
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