Many years ago, Jon and I were getting ready for an evening out on a Friday night. Jon was already dressed nice from work, so to kill a little time he was out in the backyard checking on things. He saw a bee drowning in our pool, so he took out his nice pen from his pocket, reached down and saved the bee. The bee was apparently was confused at this act of kindness, and it flew off the pen, onto Jon's foot, and stung him! Jon was rather close to the edge, and it happened very quickly. He was so shocked that he almost fell into the pool fully clothed. Of course I was sympathetic and rushed to help (laughing hysterically). Jon was rather ticked that the bee he saved would sting him! He did not deserve that!
Sometimes we get what we deserve, and sometimes we don't.
My Women's Group studied Micah this week. One of the most beautiful verses is the following:
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
Did you know that this verse is inscribed over the alcove of religion in the reading room of the Congressional Library in our nation's capitol? If only we could all ascribe to this powerful motto! In Matthew 12, Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment, and His response is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind." Jesus goes on to say that the second is, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
To do justice means that we are always treating others equal to ourselves. Wouldn't it be amazing if we entered into all of our relationships with the idea of compassion, loyalty, and loving kindness?
My heart is always hurt when I hear Rachel talk about school. The climate of criticism and meanness is so sad. If the kids could just hear themselves talk and see how they hurt others around them, maybe they would be different. The other day Rachel stuck up for a friend that was being criticized. I was so proud to know that Rachel could display kindness, even though it is not the "cool" thing to do.
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Leo Buscaglia
When you are walking humbly with God, then you have no choice but to act kind and just with others. Sometimes it is not recieved and the person bites (or stings) anyways, but in the end you can always have peace that you did what God wanted you to do. I would rather error on the side of kindness any day!
Blessings,
Sandy
