Talk is cheap. The words come easy. The doing is hard.
For those of us who like to write, the verbal finds voice effortlessly, but the follow through is often difficult.
How much of my walk is talk? I speak "Christianese" well. Immersed in this tongue since birth, the dialect is familiar. Well educated and well read, I have no problem filling in the blanks with the right answer, but it's the "fruit" that gives evidence my life is more than words.
The power of God is available to those who possess the presence of God. The presence of God always proceeds the power of God. God's power is the benefit of relationship. Am I practicing His presence?
One way to know if I am living by God's power is the degree I am experiencing hardship and opposition. My Pastor shared in a message a couple of years ago, if the enemy isn't attacking, probably nothing of God is going on in my life. When I'm moving on God's power, Satan attacks. He knows who is real in practicing His presence. When we are living in God's power, we become a threat to the prince of darkness.
Yesterday I passed up an opportunity to live by God's power. Lysa extended an invitation to her reader to join her on a crazy adventure of 37 days of kindness. My response came quickly. Words do that. But, I discovered something moments later. I want "comfortable kindness". I want to do something every day that's within a circle of ease. I mean, 'kind' doesn't have to be hard. I don't have to look outside the walls of my home to find loved ones who need to see acts of kindness.
Yesterday morning I read Lysa's invitation to 37 days of kindness. I agreed. I prayed for an opportunity. I shut down the computer and drove my son to school. On my return trip as I was almost home, I saw papers blowing all over the road. It was garbage day and obviously someones recycling bin was releasing it's contents. Then I saw a woman frantically trying to gather up the papers. My initial thought was, "pull over and help her", but as quickly as that thought came, so did the many others to counteract and convince me such an action was foolish. I pulled in the driveway moments later with an opportunity lost. As I walked into the kitchen to make breakfast the Lord brought the story of the "Good Samaritan" to my mind. I passed by. I reasoned kindness away. I didn't want to pick up garbage. It was cold out. We'd have never gathered all the papers because the wind was too strong. It would have messed my hair and I was going out for coffee with a friend shortly. It would have taken more courage than I possessed. I chose to live from my personality, not God's power.
I don't want comfortable kindness. I want the Lord to stretch me. I don't want my life to be good intentions and words. I want to live in God's power.
Humbled.
2 comments:
Your honesty is overwhelming. I know there have been times that I've done the same thing. It never fails to escape me how many years ago I was dining in a cafe and a biker (motorcycle) dressed in nice leather attire asked to sit with my family. There was no place open for him to sit and he wanted to eat and be on his way. While we sat and conversed he talked about his fasination with "church people". He said that when he drove by a church there were always lots of cars and people but he wondered where they were during the week and why would they want to get up early on the weekend to meet there. I found his conversation amusing and after he left I prayed that God would place someone in his life that would illustrate God love. I felt God's reply immediately when in my heart I heard Him say, "I did." My heart sank as I felt ashamed that God placed me in this man's path and I failed the mission.
Joy,
I've reasoned kindness away more times than I can count. Why do we do that? Lysa's invitation sounded good to me too, but I reasoned it away with my being too busy and the fact that I'm already kind. I guess that's not the response God was looking for.
Prayers and blessings,
Rebecca
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