Blog Archives

The Saving Work of Kindness

9/22/2021

xrēstótēs
"useful, profitable") kindness that is also serviceable; ("useful kindness") refers to meeting real needs, in God's way, in His timing (fashion).

The traveler stopped in his tracks, staring. Pushing his donkey back, he assessed the situation quickly. The man’s inert body lay there, blood pooling in the dry, dusty road. His bruises, laying claim to every area of his body, had taken on rich shades of purple and blue. His dry, parched lips were cracked and lacerated.
A conflict of emotions broiled inwardly as the traveler debated his choice. He could walk away now--others certainly had. Despised and rejected, abused and mocked by the very man who lay before him, the traveler had every reason to walk on. But the more he looked at the injured man, the greater the compassion that welled up inside of him. In an instant he made a choice.
Striding quickly over to the man, the traveler led his protesting donkey forward. Reaching into his saddlebags to take out his oil flask and wine skin, he knelt down poured first the cleansing wine and then the soothing oil generously over the wounds. He then quickly tore pieces of cloth from his own tunic to bind the man’s still spilling blood. Finally, taking off his outer tunic, he covered the man's stripped body. Bracing himself, he gently lifted up the wounded man’s body and laid him over his own donkey.
They would need a place to sleep. While alone the traveler may have saved money sleeping outside. But there was no way this man could survive in the cold desert night air. Making a decision, the traveler led the donkey the few miles left to the nearest inn. The host greeted him, taking instant stock of the situation.
The night was long, and many times the traveler had to get up and care for the moaning man, giving him drinks of water, changing his bandages, checking on his wounds. Feverish and delirious, it took all his energy to help the man pull through the fever. The traveler looked wearily for the rising of the sun, anxious for a respite.
At daybreak, the fever broke, and the injured man began to sleep the deep and unbroken sleep of one who is healing. Exhausted, the traveler packed up his few belongings. Stepping out of the dark room, he blinked wearily, his eyes bloodshot and smarting.
Looking around, he found the innkeeper. Pulling out his bag of coins, he quickly counted what he had available. Two days’ worth of work. It had been enough to last him for eight days of traveling food. But even this wouldn’t be enough to care for the extensive injuries and extended stay. There was no other way around it, however.
Handing over the money, he gave instructions for the care and healing of the Jewish man. He gave the innkeeper assurances of further payment for costs that might be incurred before his return.
As he turned away and walked out of the inn, his stomach empty and protesting, he pulled himself up onto his donkey and turned her home—home to Samaria.

Adaption of Luke 10:25-37

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Titus 3:3-8

What is kindness? It has always baffled me a bit. Kindness, goodness…gentleness. It all seems like kind of the same thing. To me, kindness seemed like being polite in the grocery checkout line. Kindness was a hug when a friend was down.
But kindness is so much more than that. In fact, I would say now that kindness is a fruit of the Spirit that cannot be lived out without the grace of God through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Kindness, according to Strong’s, is a useful fruit of the Spirit that truly takes care of the real needs of others. Kindness meets “real needs, in God’s way, in His timing.”
Kindness, as we enter into the Divine nature of God, always calls us to a measure of giving that is more than we feel we have to give. It asks us to go beyond the simple to the extraordinary, from the natural to the supernatural. It demands that we give to people what they truly need, even when it isn’t what they want, and to give without being paid back.
We used to be difficult to show kindness to. Our attitudes, our actions, our expressions—all were focused on self-gratification and pleasure. This overflowed out of our sinful hearts to others, on others, abusing, hurting, and creating schisms in our relationships.

Kindness leads to repentance

Praise God, He didn’t leave us in our mess! God reached to meet our needs when we were still His hostile enemies. He didn’t wait for us to clean up, shape up, or fix up ourselves. He knew we had no power or strength to do that without His Spirit. So He joined us in the middle of our mess, and made a way out for us.
He poured on the cleansing wine to sanctify and make us holy through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. He generously poured on the healing oil to make us whole and complete again through the comforting power of the Holy Spirit. He covered our shame with His own robe of rightousness:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good [man/cause] someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom. 5:6-10

As much, though, as God came down into our mess, God’s kindness was never intended to leave us in our mess. God’s kindness is intended to bring repentance—a complete change of heart and mind to think like God thinks, to take action like He acts:

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?
Does this mean nothing to you?
Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
Rom. 2:4 NLT

If we stay in our sin and refuse to extend kindness to others, but instead rely on our old patterns of selfishness and self-gratification, then we are despising rather than entering into the kindness of God for salvation. If we simply say to ourselves, “sure, I’d love to have free salvation,” but never repent, we become like the filthy clad man invited to the wedding in Jesus’ parable, who wanted eternal life without repentance and Christ’s righteousness. If we tear off His tunic and reject His gift of righteousness through His blood, then we are still left in our own shame.
Before we can enter into the power of the Spirit to change our behavior, we need to first enter into repentance, which includes a life and mindset change to agree with God about our behaviors and our need for a complete change of spirit--a new creation. Only then can we cooperate with the Spirit’s sanctifying and cleansing power in our lives to enable us to overflow in good works of kindness to others at all times:

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 2 Tim. 2:21 ESV

People without Jesus need kindness

. Kindness calls us to care for those who don’t deserve our care, or even have purposefully acted in evil ways against us. These attributes of foolishness, disobedience, malice, envy and hate are all great indicators of the need of a person, once in days gone by the very attributes of our own perverted identity, are tell-tale signs of to whom we should extend kindness.
It is to these that Christ Jesus calls us to overflow with Divine kindness to meet their needs:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matt. 5:44-48

It’s likely that we won’t need to search very far to find people that are difficult, that are unkind to us, and that require supernatural grace for us to meet their needs in love and sincerity. We may not even have to walk outside our homes. Perhaps during Covid shut-ins, even extending kindness to our family members or extended relatives seemed like an out-of-reach impossibility. Maybe being kind to other church members who see pandemic responses or political viewpoints differently than we do may seem like a stretch past the reasonable imagination.
But Jesus calls us to an extreme: that, like our Heavenly Father, we actively look for and meet the needs of not just those we like or care for, but anyone down to the most vengeful enemy. That person that refuses to wear a mask down the aisle. The man who lied about us to take over our place in the company. The woman who gossiped about us and caused us to lose precious friendships. The spouse who refuses to take responsibility for their family.
When we feel that people are mistreating us, we should remember that it is precisely those wrong actions that we used to practice in our own past. Rather than practice avoidance of those people, perhaps we should look at their actions as indications of a need that God would like us to fill.
Sometimes, instead of simply walking away, we can pray that God would open our eyes to ways that a particular person may need something that we can care for. It might be an encouraging note, or a meal. Maybe they need a bill paid, or a ride. They could be overwhelmed with homework with their child and might need some tutoring.
Above all, they need to hear of the hope and kindness of Jesus to save them from their hurtful cycles of sin and to meet their needs with His own Divine kindness.

We have an abundance for meeting people’s
true needs with kindness

I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t usually feel true. Often I start the day tired and overwhelmed with needs just from my own family and work. The process of caring for the needs of others we don’t even feel a natural affection for may sound like it extends past our natural resources. And this is absolutely true.
The kindness and actions that God calls us to are past our natural resources. This form of kindness requires us to rely on the all-sufficiency of God to multiply our resources of time, energy, love and finances to fill the needs around us.
It’s not natural, it’s Divine:

As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.
2 Peter 1:3

Let’s ask God today to give us eyes to see the wounded. To deepen our love for others. To multiply our time, energy and resources. To give us opportunities to show kindness to those who need it.
Today, let’s pour the wine and oil. Today, let’s bind their wounds. Today, let’s point them to Jesus’ gift of righteousness.
Today, let’s overflow.

0 Comments

Help for the Harried

9/7/2021

0 Comments

Mamas—it’s time!
Time for the sound of that new textbook cracking open. Time for hot coffees in the morning…and in the sleepy afternoon. Time for sweaters, warm, wood stove fires crackling, and bouquets of newly sharpened pencils.
I can’t help but get excited at all the new things we will be learning together. As one who gets easily bored learning and teaching the same things year after year, I enjoy finding things that none of us have learned before. Whether it’s studying a new way to illustrate creative writing or complex and microscopic moss piglets, the world of learning is fascinating and challenging.
On the flip side, though, there is always a bit of a dread, buried deep in the sub-conscious, of the failure that may accompany all my plans for learning. Somehow a part of our identity can get wrapped up in our children’s success--perceived as our own success--in school, arts, music, college and careers. A success defined by others.
Add to that the many unachievable public standards for learning, the judgment from other parents and the many Facebook posts of perfectly organized and color coordinated school rooms, and we homeschool mamas can quite easily find ourselves trying to the point of exhaustion to keep up with all the expectations of being the perfect woman.
But let’s pause over our coffee for a moment. Grab a chunky blanket—or, if you haven’t gotten that pinterest-worthy prize yet, as I haven’t, perhaps just a warm and cozy one will do. Because before we get too embroiled in the school year, before we find ourselves locking horns with that “unreasonable” and “stubborn” child who may really be overworked, underplayed and lonely, let’s take a look at what God says about our homeschool plans—because believe or not, He has plenty to say!
And before we get into it…before you start to feel like this will just be more for you to do, I want you to know that our Good Shepherd Jesus “gently leads those who are with their young” (Is. 40:11). He has more investment into what we are doing with our kids than we even do! As much as our hearts care, I can guarantee you that He cares more. He will not require more of us than what we have to give.
With that said, I want to take us to look at my favorite homeschool passages with which I always begin my school year. As I plan, it helps me to plan wisely, and to not get to hung up on all these helpful tools. It helps me to keep my focus on what God defines as true success for our families:

Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Invest in variety

The first idea here in verse 1 is to not be afraid to invest in a variety of ways! God is all for your kids learning how to draw in animation. He loves it when they learn how to set up an audio recording studio. He gets excited when they are interested in beehives. Jesus loves their fascination with design, dinosaur bones, and bugs.
But secondly, and I think just as importantly, God wants us to invest in other people’s children. You see, our children really belong to God. We are just entrusted with them temporarily as a stewardship. So when we work together to help one another in homeschool, whether through co-ops, field trips, church activities, or a simple play date, we are helping to invest in a stewardship of God’s kids.
We don’t know what hard stuff will come. While 2020 gave us a bitter taste, life really is unpredictable and only our wise and loving heavenly Father knows the times or the seasons appointed to us (Acts 1:7). Perhaps a co-op you started may impact thousands down the road in a positive way, or perhaps that outing you had where you learned about native plants and their uses may save a life. Maybe the child you befriended that day at the playground was in desperate need of love and attention. Maybe that mama was at her ropes' end trying to trust God with all that she juggled and struggled. Perhaps 2020 has brought in many parents to homeschooling for secular reasons, but they may not know about the life-changing grace of Jesus!
While investing abroad in others may take longer to see a return, there absolutely will be a benefit to you and to your kids as they see you model Christ-like service to others!

Be careful what we put in

I remember sitting on my bed, silently fuming. My face, I’m sure, betrayed my inner rage and disrespect, but my lips sure wouldn’t. I was verbally respectful for the full half an hour of lecture my mother would give me, but I was pretty stubborn in my response.
But do you know what? I was listening. The Spirit of God was inscribing her words of warning, love and wisdom on my heart. The memory verses she helped me memorize echoed back the exhortations of God. The Daily Light devotional she had gifted me spoke to my convicted heart night after night.
And gradually, my heart yielded in obedience to God’s voice. Gradually the lies, the disrespect, the disobedience and stubbornness were replaced by love and admiration for my mom, along with a deep gratitude that she had stuck it out so gently and lovingly.
It might seem like our kids aren’t listening to our Bible reading or wisdom, but God’s Spirit works inside of them to recall those things when they need it.
Not only that, but what we put into our kids will be sure to come out of them, one way or another, at some point. As we pour into them, they will fill and spill out onto others.
So let’s look at what we are pouring in: what messages are our kids getting from our words, our tones, and our actions toward others, circumstances, and news? What about the video games, movies, or books? While we certainly can’t control everything our kids see or hear about, we should pay attention to what we do have a choice over, and look to make sure that those things will reflect God’s character when they resurface later.
Perhaps after spending time hearing something that doesn’t reflect God’s character-- maybe a conversation they had with a friend, or an encounter with a neighbor--it would be a good time to have a chat about what God has to say about the subject, and how we can encourage others to love God in that way.

Lean our children towards God

Our family recently survived through the Beachie Creek wildfires of 2020. The memorial of the blackened trees surrounding our property line testifies continuously to the grace of God as He spared our home and family that night.
      However, down around our creeks, there are some trees that were dangerously damaged. One in particular, near our neighbor’s home, leaned ominously over her trailer. We hired a private logger to come out and expertly take out the worst offenders. He walked through the property, marking any timber that seemed likely to fall in the event of a storm.
      As he commenced his cutting, the buzzing sound of his saw filled the air. In just a few moments, the cracking and splintering sounded through the canyon as the seventy-foot tree began to break and fall.
Devastatingly, while the logger successfully diverted the lean, the new lean that the logger had placed in his cutting brought the tree sickeningly down on the front engine of his employee’s car she had been in the process of driving up our driveway. Amazingly, she was unharmed, though I would venture to say, very shaken!
          The log, almost a year later, remains where it fell.
Mamas, whereever we lean our kids, without intervention they will likely fall. In Solomon’s proverb, the falling was not a bad thing, it was simply the direction of the tree. In our homeschooling, in our parenting, we have a unique influence over our children’s life direction and heart choices while they are young.

The time to train our children to lean toward the light of Christ is now.

Trees lean a direction naturally. When they fall they will continue in that gravitational pull and land predictably and immovably.
As the tree grows, it follows the light, and leans toward it. While trees are small and immature, it is relatively easy to train them in the direction you want it to follow, and the amount of training necessary to change its direction is very small. However, as the tree grows more solidly and thickly, it takes more and more outside pressure to change its course.
Our children’s earliest development is the time to train them to lean the direction necessary to the purpose for which they are made by their Creator: to love, honor and glorify God (Ecc. 12:1).
While our children always have choice to make about whether they will repent and make Christ their Lord, our leaning them now can save them much heartache from unnecessary consequences later in life due to wrong choices and attitudes.

Keep investing and leave the results to God

Take courage! Let's not let the scary things distract us from our work! Just as the coming storm threatens to destroy our fields after we plant, making us hesitate to use up our stored seed, so we will always face threatening situations that seem like they will destroy the work and investment we are making into our children’s hearts.
I don’t know a veteran mom who has not seen those storms rolling in:

The doctor’s diagnosis, preventing you from getting up and caring for your children in the way you believe is ideal.
The unexpected job loss that forces you to spend most of your school year packing, moving, and looking for work.
The debt you were forced into that prevents you from buying organizational tools or the “right” curriculum.
The new baby that seems to need constant attention.
The sleeplessness of trauma and grief that renders you unable to focus during your day.

All of these things are threats from the enemy. They threaten us with our inability, the uncontrollable nature of life itself, and the menacing invisibility of the forces at work to undermine, destabilize and destroy whatever we are working to build.

But just as the path of the wind is indiscernible, so the formation of a baby is hidden. Just as the development of a seed under the soil is invisible, so the work of God is concealed (Heb. 11:1-2, Prov. 25:2).

The work of God in your child’s heart is unseen, and takes faith in a God who works perfectly in the unseen. God’s work is invisible, complex, beautiful and sure.

It is this faith in the faithfulness of God that gives us the ability to sow in circumstances that look devastating. It is this faith that the Spirit uses in our lives to creative faithfulness—persistence in doing the actions to which God has called us, relying on Him to make all things grow (1 Cor. 3:7).

Make the most of every opportunity

Learning is continuous, and children are classic imitators. From the very beginning days of a baby’s life, he or she is practicing your smile. Their little minds are in a state of constant and insatiable curiosity, and the process of learning development is greatly enhanced for language, social skills, and understanding. Without even understanding the meaning behind what they are doing, they are practicing everything they see us do and say, every microexpression and tone.
Learning and growth doesn’t just happen in a cubicle during a three-to-six-hour window. They are watching us constantly-- listening when they look bored. The things we share with them, on purpose and inadvertently with our reactions, responses, attitudes, words, and lifestyles, sink deeply into their impressionable hearts.
They are learning from me just as much when I sing a Bible memory verse to them as when I react harshly when they wipe their blackberry stained fingers on their new clothes. They are learning from my disinterested face as I scroll Facebook posts while they wish to share their hearts, as much when I explain a complicated algebra equation.

Be very careful, then, how you live--
not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil.
Eph. 5:15-16

Whether it’s the Bible, math, science, music, art, cake decorating or legos--whatever it is that you are investing in teaching your child, find ways to invest in their hearts throughout the day. Any moment can turn into a demonstration of God’s character and attributes.
In Deuteronomy God calls parents to invest at all times, being watchful for opportunities to impress the love and knowledge of the character of God into our children:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deut. 6:4-9

While this may seem daunting, it is meant to be, in fact, relieving! It means that discipleship happens both spontaneously and planned, and you do not have to organize all of it! As we walk in the Spirit’s leading, He will bring opportunities and way to talk about Him into your daily rhythms. Simply being in tune to His voice will enable you to successfully and naturally disciple in the little and big moments. By just living, learning, and loving God together naturally.
Jesus, our gentle Shepherd, not only wants to lead you gently, mamas, but he wants to “gather the lambs in His arms, and carry them close to His heart” (Is. 40:11) It is for this purpose that God created children to have a heightened ability to learn, lean into Him, and grow into a knowledge of Him and of His creation!

God wants your children to know Him intimately, to enter into relationship with Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and to imitate Him as dearly loved children, living a life of love (Eph. 5:1).

Fear God and keep His commandments

Finally, after all my planning, writing, scheduling, purchasing and investment, all of which God uses to aid us in our stewardship, I love how Solomon ends the book of Ecclesiastes:

“Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:12b-14

Mamas, we can write and study and plan. We can teach and test and give homework. We can do all the co-ops and programs and transcripts and college…but there is only one question that will matter at the end of our stewardship:

Do our children know and walk with Jesus as their Lord and Savior?

In the conclusion of the matter, it is really very simple and freeing. Our mission in each day doesn’t cost any money, doesn’t require any specials tools, equipment or curriculum. It’s free, and it takes no more time than just simply living with our children and walking in the Spirit’s leading. Our mission each day is simply a restful living in the moment and walking in the Spirit, responding to those opportunities that He will open up for us to teach and train. Jesus will not fail to help you and strengthen you as you ask Him for His guidance, wisdom, discernment, and energy.
As we plan out our year, our weeks, and our days, let’s do it with just one question: Is this activity or curriculum acting as a helpful tool to learn to enjoy and grow in our relationship with God?
If it does, that’s great! If it doesn’t, we might consider scratching it out of our agenda. If it leads to our exhaustion, or makes it harder to live in love and unity because we are too tired, cranky and harried to enjoy learning about God and His creation together, maybe some of these tools are more of a distraction than a tool at all. Perhaps some of them could be adjusted in their priority level or approach so that they are more useful. While there are constantly “good” things to spend our time on, only some of them actually free us to enjoy and glorify our Creator—and those will be different for you than for me.
So let’s approach this school year, this day, with a spirit of joy and rest, knowing that whatever we give to our Creator, He will be faithful to multiply and grow into the work that He designed it to be.

0 Comments

The Saving Work of Kindness

xrēstótēs
"useful, profitable") kindness that is also serviceable; ("useful kindness") refers to meeting real needs, in God's way, in His timing (fashion).

Kindness leads to repentance

People without Jesus need kindness

We have an abundance for meeting people’s
true needs with kindness

Help for the Harried

Invest in variety

Be careful what we put in

Lean our children towards God

Keep investing and leave the results to God

Make the most of every opportunity

Fear God and keep His commandments

Author

Archives

Categories

The Saving Work of Kindness

xrēstótēs ​ "useful, profitable") kindness that is also serviceable; ("useful kindness") refers to meeting real needs, in God's way, in His timing (fashion).

Kindness leads to repentance

People without Jesus need kindness

We have an abundance for meeting people’s true needs with kindness

Help for the Harried

Invest in variety​

Be careful what we put in​

Lean our children towards God​

Keep investing and leave the results to God​

Make the most of every opportunity​

Fear God and keep His commandments​

Author

Archives

Categories

xrēstótēs
"useful, profitable") kindness that is also serviceable; ("useful kindness") refers to meeting real needs, in God's way, in His timing (fashion).

We have an abundance for meeting people’s
true needs with kindness

Invest in variety

Be careful what we put in

Lean our children towards God

Keep investing and leave the results to God

Make the most of every opportunity

Fear God and keep His commandments