Random Acts of Love
by Teresa Bell Kindred
What if tomorrow morning when you got up instead of doing whatever it is that you usually do, you changed the world instead? Sounds pretty ambitious, doesn't it, especially if tomorrow is Monday.
As Christians, we have an unlimited power supply in God, but often we act as if we are afraid to pay our spiritual electric bill. We try to conserve our energy for activities that involve us, rather than others.
You have probably heard of the "random acts of kindness" movement. It's a great idea that came about in response to the media's constant reporting of "random acts of violence." I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but this idea is nothing new. Jesus taught the concept centuries ago: "Love thy neighbor as thyself," He said, and then he went on to tell the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:28-37). I suppose the Christian version of good deeds could be called "purposeful acts of love."
Considering our unlimited power supply, if we really and truly love others as ourselves, should we sit around and wait for them to ask us to do something for them? Or, if we see something that needs doing, should we plug into our spiritual source of power and just do it?
I remember reading a story years ago about a family who suffered the tragic loss of a child. It was the custom of this family to leave their shoes outside their back door. A man who knew this family heard of their loss. When he came to their house to offer his condolences and saw the shoes outside the door it occurred to him that they might want to wear the shoes to the funeral. The shoes were worn and dirty, so he took them home, cleaned and shined them and returned them before they'd been missed.
"I knew if I had asked if there was anything I could do, they would have said 'no.' Their shoes needed cleaning so I did it," he said matter of factly. To him it was no big deal, but to the family his "purposeful act of love" spoke volumes.
Stop and think back over your day:
- Was there something you saw that needed doing but you passed it by because you were in a hurry?
- Was there an elderly neighbor that would have loved even a ten minute visit?
- Was there a child in the school yard, or at the park, who looked dejected and needed the comfort of a hug?
- Was there a young mother struggling at the grocery store with a cart full of bags, a baby on one hip, and a crying toddler in the seat of the buggy?
Every day as Christians, we are given opportunities to change the world with "purposeful acts of love." However, if we aren't careful, we may fail to see those opportunities because we're too busy, too stressed, and too caught up in what's happening in our own lives.
And so I challenge you, tonight when you say your prayers, don't think small. Think big! Ask God to help you change the world. Ask Him to open your eyes to the needs of others and the courage to do what needs to be done, and don't fool yourself by thinking that the "purposeful acts of love" you do are too small or too insignificant to make a difference.
Remember the story of the little boy who was seen throwing starfish that had washed up on the beach back into the ocean?
"Why do you bother?" a man asked him. "There are hundreds of them. You couldn't possibly save them all." "No," the little boy answered, "but I can save this one, and it makes a difference to him," he said as he threw the starfish back into the sea.
What you do (or don't do) each day does make a difference in the lives of others. So tonight, say your prayers and go to bed early. You're going to need your rest, because tomorrow you're gonna get up and change the world.
Posted: 09/22/2001
URL: http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200109/20010922_random.html(c) 2001 Teresa Bell Kindred, <kindred@mail.scrtc.com> - <http://www.teresakindred.com>. Used by permission.
(c) 1996-2006, Heartlight, Inc.