Jim and I took his dad, Earl, out this weekend. We wanted to take him to get his hair cut and then out to a nice lunch. We enjoy spending time with Earl, but we don't do it nearly as often as we should. We try to make a point to see him at least once per week,and this time we wanted to get him out of his assisted living apartment for a change. Little did we know that we would be the ones blessed and encouraged on this outing.
As we walked into Great Clips, I noticed an adorable bright red haired boy getting his hair cut into a mohawk. His dad was watching the progress and chatting with his son a bit throughout the visit. As I took Earl to sit down and wait for his appointment, Jim checked him in at the front desk. He quietly explained to the employee that Earl had dementia and may not make much sense at times and to let the hairdresser know this ahead of time. As he sat down, I continued watching the young boy's mohawk come to life.
Eventually Earl was called back to the hairdresser's chair, and Jim and I waited patiently in the waiting room, continuing to watch the cute little boy and his dad. After a while, the mohawk was complete, and they proceeded to check out and leave Great Clips.
When Earl was finished getting his hair cut (looking very handsome!) we went to check out and pay and were told that his haircut was already paid for. When she saw the look of confusion on our faces, the store manager came over to us and explained that the young man with the red-headed son had paid for Earl's haircut when he paid for his little boy's.
We couldn't believe it. We felt stunned. No stranger had ever done something for us simply "because" before. We didn't know what to say, and there was no way to thank the young man for being so thoughtful and generous to complete strangers.
After talking about it, Jim and I decided how we could thank him. We could pass it on, pay it forward, do a random act of kindness for someone else. We have prayed and asked God to open our eyes to an opportunity to bless a stranger in our path. We will continue to wait for God to put something on our hearts, and I am asking everyone who reads this story to pay it forward as well.
I have no way of knowing if that young man is a Christian or not, but I do know that he is sure acting like a Christian should act. What better way to thank him than to pay it forward, not only myself, but all my readers as well.
If you have every been blessed by a random act of kindness, either by a total stranger or someone you know, please share with us below in a comment. Make sure to pay it forward as well.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
What If?
I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8 NIV
Fear is crippling. Worry stops us in our tracks. They distract us from the present and keep our focus on what we don't want instead of what we do want. Fear and worry say:
I can't.
It's too hard.
What if I fail?
What if I'm not good enough?
What if nobody cares?
How will I know?
What if I don't have what it takes?
We all hear these types of messages from time to time, but do you know what you're really thinking and saying when you repeat them and believe them?
You're saying to God,
"I don't trust you."
Just let that sink in for a minute.......
Do you claim to know and trust God? If so, ask yourself these questions:
*Do you think your problems are too big or too complicated for God?
*Do you think you know how to handle them better than He does?
*Do you think God is big enough to create and manage the universe but is unable to handle your life?
*Do you think God doesn't understand your worries?
I bet your answer would be "No" to all of those things. Mine would too. However, I have come to realize that when I fret over my children's future and safety or when I continue to worry about finances or health problems, I am forgetting that God told me to "Cast all my cares upon Him." Sometimes I have to remind myself that:
God Is Greater
He is greater than all my problems--past, present and future. His abilities far outweigh anything I can possibly imagine, and nothing is going to happen that He doesn't allow.
When you find yourself worrying about anything--real or perceived, known or unknown--give it to God. And leave it there!
Why is this so important? Because worry lives in the future. Worry paralyzes your heart. Worry drains your joy. Worry warps your perspective, and it strangles your faith.
God calls us to trust Him. Try to make it a practice this week to lay your worries and fears down before the Lord. Show your trust in Him. Revel in the peace He gives you, and find joy in the lightness that comes from a worry-free heart. And, last but not least, remember:
GOD IS GREATER!
Fear is crippling. Worry stops us in our tracks. They distract us from the present and keep our focus on what we don't want instead of what we do want. Fear and worry say:
I can't.
What if I fail?
What if I'm not good enough?
What if nobody cares?
How will I know?
What if I don't have what it takes?
We all hear these types of messages from time to time, but do you know what you're really thinking and saying when you repeat them and believe them?
You're saying to God,
"I don't trust you."
Just let that sink in for a minute.......
Do you claim to know and trust God? If so, ask yourself these questions:
*Do you think your problems are too big or too complicated for God?
*Do you think you know how to handle them better than He does?
*Do you think God is big enough to create and manage the universe but is unable to handle your life?
*Do you think God doesn't understand your worries?
I bet your answer would be "No" to all of those things. Mine would too. However, I have come to realize that when I fret over my children's future and safety or when I continue to worry about finances or health problems, I am forgetting that God told me to "Cast all my cares upon Him." Sometimes I have to remind myself that:
God Is Greater
He is greater than all my problems--past, present and future. His abilities far outweigh anything I can possibly imagine, and nothing is going to happen that He doesn't allow.
When you find yourself worrying about anything--real or perceived, known or unknown--give it to God. And leave it there!
Why is this so important? Because worry lives in the future. Worry paralyzes your heart. Worry drains your joy. Worry warps your perspective, and it strangles your faith.
God calls us to trust Him. Try to make it a practice this week to lay your worries and fears down before the Lord. Show your trust in Him. Revel in the peace He gives you, and find joy in the lightness that comes from a worry-free heart. And, last but not least, remember:
GOD IS GREATER!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Hide and Seek
Most of us can probably remember playing Hide-and-Seek when we were young children, and maybe you've even played it with your own kids recently. What most of us fail to realize is that we sometimes still try to hide ourselves from God or from those closest to us.
Have you ever found yourself running and hiding from God? Jonah did. Genesis 3 says, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.'"
The next verse is the pinnacle of the story:
"But Jonah ran away from the Lord...."
People have been running away from God since the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were ashamed of disobeying God, and so they hid. The Bible is full of stories about God's children hiding from Him, and we can usually trace the reasons to two different things.
Some people hide from God or others because they are ashamed of a sin and don't want to face the disappointment or hurt they have caused. Maybe they aren't ready to stop sinning, or they think that they can actually hide it from an all-knowing God. Adam and Eve didn't want God to find out about their sin of eating from the forbidden tree. They were ashamed, and so they hid themselves from the Lord.
Another common reason we hide is because God is asking us to do something we either don't want to do or think we can't do. This was Jonah's reason for hiding himself. God had asked him to go and preach to people whom Jonah was afraid of and didn't respect. He decided that he knew better than God, and so he went the opposite way.
But, guess what! God always finds us. He will always pursue us. He wants our obedience and our devotion, and He will give us several chances to get it right. It's important to remember that God will never let anyone or anything other than Him be our Savior.
God used a huge, wild storm to get Jonah's attention. He then used a giant fish to drive the point home even more. Jonah eventually realized that God meant business and that he better obey if he wanted to remain in close relationship with God.
I recently heard the story of Jonah told with a new and refreshing slant to it. Jonah being thrown into the sea and swallowed by a giant fish and then coughed up onto the beach was used to symbolize the act of baptism. In baptism, a person is dunked under water to signify dying to themselves and then lifted up, illustrating becoming alive in Christ. The burial of the old and the resurrection of the new. Isn't this what happened to Jonah? He had to give up his own ideas and plans and then choose to follow God's.
Have you found yourself hiding from something or someone? Is God calling you to something you don't think you can do, or maybe something you don't want to do? Do you have sin in your life that makes you ashamed? Maybe you aren't yet ready to give up that sinful habit.
I know that when I'm hiding from God I feel antsy, unsettled, easily worn down and somewhat depressed. This is God's way of convicting me and pursuing me, and sometimes it takes me a while to recognize it for what it is.
No matter what your reason for hiding, freedom and joy can only come through repentance, obedience and following Christ. Until you make that hard decision to come out into the open, no matter what the cost, you will always feel like you are playing Hide-and-Seek. It's not a fun game, however, when the stakes are life and death.
Have you ever found yourself running and hiding from God? Jonah did. Genesis 3 says, "The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.'"
The next verse is the pinnacle of the story:
"But Jonah ran away from the Lord...."
People have been running away from God since the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were ashamed of disobeying God, and so they hid. The Bible is full of stories about God's children hiding from Him, and we can usually trace the reasons to two different things.
Some people hide from God or others because they are ashamed of a sin and don't want to face the disappointment or hurt they have caused. Maybe they aren't ready to stop sinning, or they think that they can actually hide it from an all-knowing God. Adam and Eve didn't want God to find out about their sin of eating from the forbidden tree. They were ashamed, and so they hid themselves from the Lord.
Another common reason we hide is because God is asking us to do something we either don't want to do or think we can't do. This was Jonah's reason for hiding himself. God had asked him to go and preach to people whom Jonah was afraid of and didn't respect. He decided that he knew better than God, and so he went the opposite way.
But, guess what! God always finds us. He will always pursue us. He wants our obedience and our devotion, and He will give us several chances to get it right. It's important to remember that God will never let anyone or anything other than Him be our Savior.
God used a huge, wild storm to get Jonah's attention. He then used a giant fish to drive the point home even more. Jonah eventually realized that God meant business and that he better obey if he wanted to remain in close relationship with God.
I recently heard the story of Jonah told with a new and refreshing slant to it. Jonah being thrown into the sea and swallowed by a giant fish and then coughed up onto the beach was used to symbolize the act of baptism. In baptism, a person is dunked under water to signify dying to themselves and then lifted up, illustrating becoming alive in Christ. The burial of the old and the resurrection of the new. Isn't this what happened to Jonah? He had to give up his own ideas and plans and then choose to follow God's.
Have you found yourself hiding from something or someone? Is God calling you to something you don't think you can do, or maybe something you don't want to do? Do you have sin in your life that makes you ashamed? Maybe you aren't yet ready to give up that sinful habit.
I know that when I'm hiding from God I feel antsy, unsettled, easily worn down and somewhat depressed. This is God's way of convicting me and pursuing me, and sometimes it takes me a while to recognize it for what it is.
No matter what your reason for hiding, freedom and joy can only come through repentance, obedience and following Christ. Until you make that hard decision to come out into the open, no matter what the cost, you will always feel like you are playing Hide-and-Seek. It's not a fun game, however, when the stakes are life and death.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
The Danger of Arrogance
Have you ever heard the Bible story about Uzziah? Although it's not a widely quoted passage, it's an important one, in that it serves as a weighty reminder of the dangers of pride and arrogance. Uzziah was just 16 years old when he became King of Judah. That is a scary thought when you think of the immaturity and impulsiveness of most 16 year olds. However, Uzziah was a man after God's own heart. 2 Chronicles 26 tells us that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord just like his father had, and because of this, the Lord blessed him.
2 Chronicles 26:15b says, "His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped....."
It's the next part of the passage that serves as a warning to all of us. 2 Chronicles 26:15b goes on to say..."until he became powerful." In other words, Uzziah was blessed and greatly helped by God until he became successful and powerful.
His pride kicked in and destroyed his relationship with God as well as his fame and prosperity among the people. How do we know this? Because verse 26 says, "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord."
Uzziah ended up being inflicted with leprosy and being condemned and shunned by his own people. He was so despised that when he died, he was not even allowed to be buried near the other kings' tombs.
God calls each of us to be humble. Does he want us to be meek and mild, not standing up for ourselves? Absolutely not! God wants us to be courageous and bold, but He wants our confidence to be grounded in Him. Being humble means acknowledging that God is the basis for all of your abilities and successes.
Questions to ask yourself to determine if you are arrogant or humble:
1. Do you believe that you and your own abilities are the reasons for your success, or do you know that you wouldn't have what you have without God's blessing?
2. Are you chasing after your own purposes or the purposes God has placed on your life?
3. Do you respond to godly confrontation with defensiveness and self-protection, or are you willing to look at your weaknesses and sins with a humble heart?
4. Do you see other people as obstacles to your own agenda, or do you see them as fellow children of God?
Sometime during his life journey, Uzziah took the off-ramp of pride and arrogance. Ask God to search your heart and open your eyes to any areas in which you have become prideful and self-reliant instead of depending on and following after Him. It's so easy to do, and it can sneak up on every one of us. Make sure God is your life-compass, not you.
2 Chronicles 26:15b says, "His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped....."
It's the next part of the passage that serves as a warning to all of us. 2 Chronicles 26:15b goes on to say..."until he became powerful." In other words, Uzziah was blessed and greatly helped by God until he became successful and powerful.
His pride kicked in and destroyed his relationship with God as well as his fame and prosperity among the people. How do we know this? Because verse 26 says, "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord."
Uzziah ended up being inflicted with leprosy and being condemned and shunned by his own people. He was so despised that when he died, he was not even allowed to be buried near the other kings' tombs.
God calls each of us to be humble. Does he want us to be meek and mild, not standing up for ourselves? Absolutely not! God wants us to be courageous and bold, but He wants our confidence to be grounded in Him. Being humble means acknowledging that God is the basis for all of your abilities and successes.
Questions to ask yourself to determine if you are arrogant or humble:
1. Do you believe that you and your own abilities are the reasons for your success, or do you know that you wouldn't have what you have without God's blessing?
2. Are you chasing after your own purposes or the purposes God has placed on your life?
3. Do you respond to godly confrontation with defensiveness and self-protection, or are you willing to look at your weaknesses and sins with a humble heart?
4. Do you see other people as obstacles to your own agenda, or do you see them as fellow children of God?
Sometime during his life journey, Uzziah took the off-ramp of pride and arrogance. Ask God to search your heart and open your eyes to any areas in which you have become prideful and self-reliant instead of depending on and following after Him. It's so easy to do, and it can sneak up on every one of us. Make sure God is your life-compass, not you.
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