Sometimes a day is so special that I feel a need to share it
with others. Today has been one of those
days. Sherrod spoke on God’s Amazing
Grace this morning, which brought many thoughts to my mind. Two verses, especially, struck a chord with
me. “And God
is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” (2 Corinthians 9:8
KJV) “For all things are for your sakes,
that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the
glory of God. “(2 Corinthians 4:15 KJV) Putting these two verses together make
it very clear that through the grace of God we have everything we need to do
the work we have to do, so that HE will be glorified. I know there have been times when I felt like
I didn’t have anything left in me to give.
I failed to realize that I didn’t need to have it in me…that God would
provide me with whatever I needed to do His will. This is such a comforting assurance! Plus it is so important to always remember
that whatever we do is for HIS glory, never our own.
This afternoon was one of those services that just seemed to
“gel”…when everything just seemed to take on more meaning. Perhaps it was just that my head was more
together than usual. Layne gave a
wonderful chapter study on Hebrews 2. He
has such a way of making things relevant!
I never tire of listening to him.
Then Dennis (who was in charge) followed it up with a very emotional
story from his life. (That man can sure
make me cry!) I love how he is able to
come up with an anecdote from life to illustrate a spiritual point. I just really felt very connected to everyone
today.
I think part of why today was so meaningful to me was
because of a book I’m reading right now.
It is called “The Kindness Challenge”.
Not only is it very much based on biblical truths, but it is incredibly
insightful into human nature and the effects of our actions, or inactions, on others. There are some online tools, also, to use in
determining how “kind” one is and helpful hints for showing kindness to
different people. I’ve always considered
myself to be a kind person, and I do focus on being kind a lot! But after reading the first few chapters and
being brutally honest with myself, I realized how much I have missed the mark. I’ve allowed struggles that we’ve been
through to “taint” the way I see others, which affects how I treat them. I’ve also been guilty of “growing weary in
well-doing” and thinking it was MY time to be on the receiving end…and feeling
slighted if I wasn’t. In other words, I’ve
been self-centered and Unkind. Working
on this challenge is changing the way I think about others, which changes the
way I treat others. None of it is
difficult to understand, it is written all through the New Testament, in some
of my favorite verses. But I’ve been
reading them and thinking about them through “Linda” colored glasses, rather
than truly embracing them at face value.
Changing that perspective is having a profound influence in every area
of my life…and making my worship more meaningful in the process.
So I am embarking on this 30 day challenge, which will
(hopefully) retrain my focus to being kind to everyone, always. I hope that I can become a better wife,
mother, daughter, friend and person in general.
And I am truly sorry for any time that I have treated any of you
unkindly! With God’s help, I hope to
avoid doing so in the future!
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