"And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."
Matthew 10: 42
Weariness... of a husband with a ruptured disc and always in pain.
3 Teenagers amidst hormones and anxt
Selling a home in one state and moving to another with not quite enough money to get the place we felt we needed
Trying to give my youngest daughter and innocent, focussed childhood amidst the bigger issues that consumed our lives with teenagers
Feeding everyone every day, being responsible for their well-being, health, emotional life, spiritual life, sense of well-being
All this found me depleted and discouraged.
Clay was holding down the fort in Tennessee with me looking for houses to rent or buy in Colorado. Our other house had sold and I had 2 days to find a place for us to live. Lack of sleep from worry and fear and pressures of life left me exhausted.
Staying with a friend, I tiptoed downstairs early in the morning to be sure not to awaken anyone.
There, on a little table in her breakfast area was a beautiful table, a wisps of a flower in a small drinking glasses, two tea cups, 2 empty stemmed juice glasses, a slice of fresh apple bread and a card that said, "I just wanted you to know you are precious to the Lord. He sees you, loves you and He will provide your needs. And I am here today to be your friend, to help in any way I can. Be encouraged, you are not alone."
Tears began to flow. It had been so very long since someone had thought of me--to encourage me, to think of me. I did not even know how depleted I was until this act of kindness opened the floodgates of my heart, and the realization that I felt so alone in life.
One little act of kindness gave me the energy I needed to trust God that day, to keep going, to have hope. That day, that moment, hope began to fill my heart.
I looked up the definition of kindness in the dictionary:
Kindness: benevolence, humanity, generosity, charity, sympathy,compassion, tenderness, good will
Jesus was so very kind to us. He, the one who took children into His arms amidst busyness to bless them.
He who touched the prostitute and with his touch said, "You are precious."
He who touched the leper and said, "You are not repulsive."
He who saw the hungry who followed Him and fed them with fish and loaves of bread before they would go home.
He who prepared the room, the passover meal and washed 120 man toes to show what servant love looked like.
Then, quietly, He went to the cross, to redeem us, to save us back to our forever loving Father.
And so, because we are His children, we have the ability to give kindness back--to those who long for a personal touch, but may not even know how empty they are.
Today, each of has a choice–will we take time to celebrate the joys that God has provided? the beauty that He wants us to explore? The sweetness of intimacy that comes from investing heart time with those we love.
Take time to experience His pleasure. Remember:
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
The chores and responsibilities will always be there, but the time to invest in the ones we love,
But someone in your wake is longing for kindness, wishing to be noticed.
to look them in the eye,
to scribble a few words of "I appreciate you because,"
A cup of cold drink to a thirsty heart longing for attention,
A "How are you today?" to a clerk in a store,
A cup of tea with a neighbor,
to give an unexpected cheek kiss,
to laugh at the craziness of moments–
it will all be too soon gone.
Today, own the moments of your life that you have been given–take them and celebrate them, because today will never come again. -Sally Clarkson