Last week I managed to get 64 hours in. That's right, it's a lot. Some of it was fun stuff like dance recitals, an egg hunt, concert, worship, conversations, and more. However, there was the also not so fun stuff involved too. But, overall it was good.
Last week was long. There was a lot of opportunities for me to serve. Monday - had conversation with Tasha and spent time with family. Tuesday - met with a couple of my youth and talked with them. Wednesday - Helped Tasha and Jordan prepare food for the college lunch and helped a member of the church. Thursday - volunteered with Whiz Kids and a worship service Friday - helped a friend in need. Saturday & Sunday worked at the church.
Each day there was some sort of service involved. I normally don't look that closely back over the week to see what good I might have done. Instead, I live each day to serve. I wake up knowing that somehow I will do good. My favorite quote of John Wesley is, "“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” I feel like that is so imperative to what our God calls us to do.
On Thursday, I went and heard Dr. Tony Compolo speak. He had wonderful things to say. It helped reaffirm some of my beliefs. He stated that our values in our country needs to start changing. Instead of us volunteering because of what we can get out of it; we need to start looking and seeing the needs and ministering to those needs.
Ever since then it seems like good deeds has been popping up for me all over. At Sunday school, the youth's lesson was about good deeds. They were challenged the week before to do good deeds. They were responding to how they did with that challenge. One turn and asked me what good deeds I had done. I started rattling off my week and then stopped.
I struggle with good deeds sometimes. I don't always consider things I do good deeds. Instead, I view them as a lifestyle. It's just a simple seemingly innocuous act. However, those very things are what make up being a Christian. We should be doing those things as much as how we breathe.
It should be a part of us. After helping out with a worship service Sunday, I kept getting thank you's from the other leaders. I had brought them a small gift and a thank you card. They told me I did a lot and thank you. I did no different from anyone else, except do what was needed to be done.
This got me thinking. Good deeds, indeed. I don't want to think anymore. I'm tired. I'm pretty tired from the week. I'm not sure how to respond to all of this. I'm worn thin. My patience has a short wick.
That study with the youth they used a verse from Galatians 6. I read Galatians 6:1-10 today. That really helped my spirits. I've been struggling with accountability and what that truly means. Whether or not to hold others to a higher standard or to lower my expectations. However, I believe that we should take our integrity and hold and cherish it.
I really loved verse 9, "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up."
Even though, we might grow weary or tired at times, we are just physically tired. We are not too tired to continue to do good. We must persevere at all times; "At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."
I had been ignoring a lot of what God has been saying to me. I kept hearing good deeds, but didn't really listen. Finally, today, when I was tired; I decided I would read the devo from upper room. This is what it is:
Command [those who are rich in this present world] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
I love fireworks. I wait in the dark. BANG! A splatter of gold sparks fills the sky. They take my breath away. My face hurts from smiling. My ears ring from the noise. When the show is over, I picture in my mind the flashes of brilliance, and a twinkle of joy lingers.
When we do a good deed, it flashes a spark of pleasure in someone's day. We shine God's love into the lives of others. Good deeds are fleeting, though their memory lingers in the mind.
The flash of fireworks affects all those who see it. Love sparkles in the same way: we all feel the joy. Some "fireworks" are small and personal; opening the door for another and being courteous are like handheld sparklers. Some fireworks, such as publicly giving big donations to charity, get a lot of attention. The volunteer showing up every week to help is like fireworks that go on, explosion after explosion. When the annual fireworks show is over, planning begins for the next year.
We can each plan and be part of an explosion of good deeds. Today and every day, God can use us to shine the brilliance of love into the world.
Lisa Bogart (California, USA)
It made me laugh. I understood a little more of what God was saying. It's a little cheesy, but really I think God is too. We have to look for images of God everywhere. It's important to know that even in the hard times of life that God is there. But, most of all we can continue to do good deeds. Love it. Breathe it. Live it.
