Take time to be kind

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the moments”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Ephesians 3:12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Take the time to be kind”

I’m embarrassed to share this story with you, but I feel compelled to do it. I don’t know, maybe it’s an act of penance prompted by the Holy Spirit. It involves a trip I once took to visit a person who was sick and dying and who lived a long distance away. The trip was long, the traffic was heavy, and I was running late. As I was nearing my destination I was thinking about the things I would say and the passages from the Bible I would read as I attempted to minister to the person and her family.

As I thought about it, I realized I should bookmark the passages I was thinking about so I could get to them quickly when I needed them. So, I pulled into the parking lot of a shopping center and was sitting there in my truck flipping through my Bible looking for comforting words from God that I could share. As I was doing that, a man approached my truck with a sign. He was a young Hispanic man with a pained and hopeful look on his face. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, quickly glanced at his sign without really reading it, and I just shook my head without even engaging him in conversation. Not a word or even a second look. I briefly noticed that a disappointed and even sad expression flashed across his face as he hung his head and walked away, but I just continued being preoccupied with my search for Bible verses.

I found the verses I was looking for, marked them, and drove away, headed to my ministry destination. I was a couple miles down the road, approaching the dying person’s home, when the image of the young man flashed through my mind. In my mind I saw a picture of his sign. I realized then that it said he had lost his job and he had three young children to feed. He was looking for another job but, in the meantime, he just needed a little help from kind people. And as I remembered the look on his face, I knew in my gut that his story was true. That occurred to me as I was pulling into the driveway of the home of the dying person I would visit with.

I ended up spending a long time in that home. By the time the visit was over I was tired and emotionally drained and so I never did go back to see if that man was still there. I should have. It wouldn’t have taken long. I regret that I didn’t. I could easily have helped him. But at that initial encounter with him I had been preoccupied with what I wanted to do, and I was not paying attention to the situation in front of me. Also, I was impatient at the interruption. To this day I still feel convicted about that. Granted, I was focused on something important but still, that was no excuse for being uninterested and dismissive.

God calls us, His people, to be kind and compassionate. Kindness and compassion describe the nature of Jesus and therefore it should be part of our nature as well. But taking the time to be kind and compassionate requires us to pay attention and to slow down long enough to engage with people who need our attention, kindness, and compassion.

In Matthew 25:45 Jesus said, “I assure you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” I encourage you to pay attention to the people around you today and take the time today to be kind to someone who needs it. These too are moments we should savor.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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