Honest Reflections

One-minute read.

“Pay It Forward,” a movie made in 2000, starred Haley Joel Osment and had a simple plot.  Trevor, Osmont’s character, decided to start a movement of kindness for his school assignment.  The young boy thought that if he did three nice things for people, telling each person to pay it forward to three more people, it would quickly spread good deeds throughout the world.  Although a box office disappointment, it doesn’t discount the movie’s premise.

Jesus died on the cross, not just for our lives today, but for future generations to come, paying it forward, so to speak.  By living our lives for the Savior, we help others come to know and love Him, which in turn impacts an increasing number of people.  Christ’s resurrection 2000 years ago started a movement that has never ended.  To this day, people give their lives for the gospel, doing all they can to help others know the saving grace and love of God’s Son.

Although you may not think your actions matter, everything you do for Christ has a ripple effect, most of which you won’t know of until you reach heaven.  God uses all things to the good for those who believe and trust in Him.  

Journal Question:

Who has inspired you to do acts of kindness for others?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you pay it forward for Jesus today?

One-minute read.

Truth, in today’s world, seems elusive.  Trust in the news stories found in the media can only lead to lies and heartache. Love rejoices with the truth, rejecting deceit as evil, including when we deceive ourselves.  Receiving divine truth only happens when we submit our lives to the Lord, allowing Him to search our hearts and reveal truth to us.

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Proverbs 17:3

God knows the condition of our hearts and the lies we tell ourselves and others.  When we give the Lord permission to test our hearts, He will refine us, revealing the false tales we believe and rejoicing in the truth.  As we embrace the Creator’s love for us, He will set us free from our sins, and like prisoners released from jail, we will experience freedom in a way like never before.

Seek the Lord’s love today.  Let Him reveal the lies in your life, and rejoice in the truth of His grace and mercy.  Then share what you have found with others, telling the truth in love and dispelling the world’s lies.  Only with Jesus can you experience the unconditional love of the Savior and the freedom He offers.

Journal Question:

What lies have held you captive?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you share the truth in love with today?

One-minute read.

God desires a heart response from us, freely and willingly showing kindness to others for Him.  Left to our devices, when someone hurts us, we may not show mercy.  However, as we surrender our lives to Jesus and become more like Him, we should become more likable people.   Walking humbly with the Lord means recognizing His constant presence in our lives and God’s awareness of our actions.

Watching the final of the US Open Golf tournament, it rained during the last part of the event, causing havoc for the players.  As I watched the leaders fall, losing their hold on the title, their reaction amazed me.  Yes, they showed frustration and disappointment in their play, but they also showed mercy for their fellow athletes, recognizing they all shared the pain of those moments.  Freely giving kindness to their comrades, no one acted meanly; good athletes in the arena.

In the game of life, we have a choice of how we respond to the circumstances we find ourselves in today.  We can choose kindness, to act justly and love mercy, walking humbly with our Creator.  The more we practice God’s ways, the more natural they will become, sharing the Lord’s unconditional grace and mercy with all.

Journal Question:

When have you refused to offer mercy to someone?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you freely give kindness and mercy away today?

One-minute read.

Words matter.  What you say to other people has an impact on their lives.  How they receive your words determines how they internalize and process them.  In seventh grade, when a boy on the bus told me I had a big nose, I heard ‘You’re ugly.”  His words had a profound impact on my self-esteem, causing me to doubt myself and my appearance.  Forty years later, he probably doesn’t remember uttering that sentence, but I still remember the pain I felt from it.

As a tennis coach, I learned in one of my first trainings that kids remember 80% of what you say to them, but we only remember 20% of the words we speak.  To combat that statistic, I strive only to say uplifting and encouraging words, not only to my students, but to everyone.  I look for the good in people, and then I tell them when I find it.  Instead of focusing on the negative, I find the positive and speak it out loud.  

Spread good in the world with your words.  Don’t let unwholesome talk come from your mouth; know that your words matter.  Find ways to build people up, speak life into them with your words, letting them know how much they matter, not only to you, but to God as well.

Journal Question:

When has someone’s words hurt you?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you build up today with your words?

One-minute read.

Not keeping a record of others’ faults requires intention.  I can quickly list Ron’s annoying traits, but instead of holding them against him, I thank the Lord for them.  Each night when I hear his snoring, I praise God for having him in bed with me.  After my father died, I remember my mom saying, “I miss sleeping with him.”  Now I understand why; my father could saw some logs in his sleep, and the entire house heard him.  But writing this on the 39th anniversary of his death, we have missed his presence and his snoring.

Instead of focusing on people’s wrongs, praise God for their presence in your life.  Only the Lord knows the length of one’s life.  Not only does today mark Dad’s homecoming, but also our flower girl’s first anniversary of her move to heaven.  God gave her to us for twenty years, and now she lives in glory with Him.  Remembering the brevity of life helps us appreciate the people God gives us, no matter what they’re shortcomings. And we all have faults.  I don’t want others keeping a list of mine, and so I try not to keep a list of theirs.

Honor those in your life by putting their needs above yours, not letting anger control you, and keeping no record of their wrongs.  Love them well and receive the joy of their presence.

Journal Question:

How can you let go of people’s faults and honor them instead?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you honor today with an act of love?

One-minute read.

When someone offends us, our initial response wants to strike back. God calls us to take the high road, not repaying evil for evil, but going the extra mile and blessing them.

Someone causing us pain with malicious intent can make us want to inflict harm on them.  The better we know a person, the more we know their secrets and can exploit them for our gain.  But Jesus wants us to turn to Him and ask for help.  Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our actions will lead us down the righteous path, restoring our relationship instead of destroying it, and showing us how we can bless others.

Enemies come in all forms and fashions, from stranger to friend. How we respond when offended speaks volumes about who we follow.  If Jesus takes the lead in our lives, instead of striking back, we’ll bless them.  Allowing God to soften our hearts helps us gain insight into the other person’s actions.  With understanding, returning evil with a blessing becomes easier, which helps us honor and glorify God instead of perpetuating the hurt.

Journal Question:

What happened the last time you experienced an evil act?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you repay evil with a blessing today?

One-minute read.

Any time we have the chance to do good, God wants us to do it, especially for fellow believers.  Helping other Christ followers encourages and uplifts them, enabling them to persevere on their journey.  Whenever I feel discouraged and receive an email or comment that my writing has helped someone, it motivates me to keep going.  Last week, I had lunch with a friend who read my book 4:13 Doing Hard Things with Strength, and it helped her through a health crisis.  Her excitement as she shared with me the book’s impact on her life did me good.

Doing good for others has different forms.  Taking a meal to a family struggling with a loss or a difficult situation.  Sending a note of encouragement to a church member facing a giant.  Visiting with an elderly friend.  Mowing the lawn for a single mother.  Running errands for someone laid up with an illness.  Endless possibilities exist for doing good to others.  If we tune our eyes and ears to the needs of others, we will find plenty of opportunities to do good.

Ask God to show you who needs encouragement today.  Find ways to do good for them, giving their soul a lift, and helping them persevere in the day-to-day trials of life.

Journal Question:

How has someone doing good for you uplifted you in the past?

Random Act of Kindness:

What can you do for a friend that will uplift and encourage them today?

One-minute read.

Have you ever encountered people who talk a good talk, but don’t walk a good walk?  I have, and I don’t have much time for them.  A question I commonly ask, “How can you have a relationship with someone you can’t trust?”  Untrustworthy people have a lot to say, but never follow through on their promises.  Jesus didn’t talk about what we should do; He did it.

“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.” Matthew 10:9

Christ came for the lost.  The Savior loved sinners from the moment He arrived, offering all salvation through Him.  To meet the Samaritan woman, shunned by society, Jesus walked miles out of His way in the heat.  Crossing the sea in a storm, Christ did it to heal the demon-possessed man.  And when the 5000 needed fed, He fed them.  The Lord forgave the adulterous woman, healed the blind, and cured the leper.  Then He gave us one command to follow: love God and others, not in word, but in deed.

Take a note out of Jesus’s book, make love a verb in your life that never stops.  Whoever God places before you, find a way to love them.  Actively show the Savior’s love for others with your actions.

Journal Question:

How has Jesus loved you?

Random Act of Kindness:

What can you do to love in deed today?

One-minute read.

Generosity towards the less fortunate pleases God.  By actively helping someone who can’t help themselves, you do the Lord’s work.  When the Creator uses you as His hands and feet, He does so in various ways.  The Savior repays you for your kindnesses towards others, not necessarily monetarily, but in different life circumstances.

Having lunch with a friend, a young military couple got in line behind me.  Feeling a nudge from the Holy Spirit, I bought them lunch.  Smiles broke over their faces as they shared their story with me.  They had gotten married the day before, but couldn’t take a honeymoon because of their work.  Overflowing with newlywed energy, they planned lunch as a celebration of their nuptials, and now they didn’t have to pay for it. 

God blessed me more than He did them that day.  The few dollars I paid for their meal doesn’t compare to the joy they brought to my heart.  Years later, when I think of the tiny brunette standing close to her tall, lanky husband, a smile comes to my face, like now, as I write about it.  I never learned their names, but I have often prayed for God to bless their marriage.

Develop a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.  When you feel the nudge to do something generous, do it immediately and find the joy that comes from obedience.

Journal Question:

When has helping someone less fortunate than you brought you more joy than it did them?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you provide lunch for today?

One-minute read.

Makrothymeō means “to exhibit internal and external control in a difficult circumstance, which control could exhibit itself by delaying an action.”¹  Patience, defined in its original Greek word, sums it up nicely, controlling our emotions and reactions while under pressure.  Four words on a plaque, hanging in the hallway of Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, NY, home of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, say it another way. “Pressure is a privilege.”  Billy Jean King’s words come from a lifetime of competitive play at the highest level.  Paul’s words, written to the Corinthians, come from another pro, one who followed Jesus’ teachings better than most.

Loving others for God requires patience.  Throughout a lifetime, practicing self-control under challenging circumstances will occur frequently.  From constraining your words in a heated moment, to dominating your facial features to keep them from non-verbally communicating your thoughts, every day the Lord gives us a chance to exercise and build our patience muscle. Pressure is a privilege we get to experience as we strengthen our patience muscle and learn to love others.

Love requires action, and patience requires control.  Applying the greatest commandment, love God and others, to our lives transforms us like nothing else.  Only with Christ can we love others for the Savior.

Journal Question:

What opportunities does God give you to practice patience?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you have patience with today that you haven’t before?

1. NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary. Copyright © 2015 by Zondervan. ↩︎