What an amazing, yet super-stressful, yet also super joyous weekend it has been thus far!
In the past 48 hours, I've had the privilege and honor of singing with the internationally-acclaimed Wartburg Choir (my choir family) at a concert in Algona, Iowa, and another in Roseville, Minnesota.
In between those two concerts, I managed to make my way back to Wartburg to deliver my very first big speech in front of a room of 100+, a TED talk. If you don't know what a TED talk is, there's always Google/YouTube for that.
While this Sunday Morning Devotional will not be the duration of my TED talk today (about 12ish minutes), it will be full of some really great insight as to what it was all about.
Romans 14:13
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
From the very start of my talk, I ask people to close their eyes and let their eyes "wander" as I said some words for them to listen to.
Here's the list:
spouse, grandparent, stranger, enemy, school, work, fresh-out-of-the-oven-chocolate-chip cookies, brussel sprouts, the beaches of Florida, cold Iowa snow
And you should've seen their faces......when I said grandparent, they either smiled really big, or got kind of sad...when I said fresh-out-of-the-oven-chocolate-chip cookies, they all seemed very excited and giddy...but when I said stranger or enemy, the majority of the audience was not smiling, was not excited nor giddy, and some of them seemed confused.
The reason that I later revealed for saying those things was to prove that we all have different reactions or emotions that are attributed with people, places, or things. They all come from our past experiences and our current environment.
I mention to everyone that it is a natural thing to judge, but realizing that we do judge and getting past the fact that people are different is the first step towards "coming all together as one big family". Brothers and sisters in Christ, as my youth pastor always put it.
Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
I actually had to go and look up the word conceited because I couldn't remember what it meant.
Sometimes when I feel like I did something so grand and wonderful, I often catch myself feeling proud or even a little bit better than another person. And I know I'm not the only one who has felt this way before.
When God gives us all these blessings, I think it's really easy to forget that others have it much harder than we do.
My solution that I presented at the end of my TED talk was that if you took 30 seconds out of your entire day, 1/3000th of your day (86,400 seconds in a day, and divide that by 3000 = about 30 seconds), you could make a huge impact on someone's day, or even their entire life!
1/3000th of your day! A simple hey, how's your day going, high-five, hug, honest compliment, etc.
A small act of kindness for you and an exponentially bigger impact on someone else.
Proverbs 31:9
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
So what's stopping you? Think back to all the WWJD bracelets that you once had as a kid.
WWJD --> What Would Jesus Do?
I'll tell you what Jesus would do!
Jesus would be a friend to those that were different, or that stood out from "the standard".
Jesus was a friend to the blind, to the homeless, to the thieves (@Judas and @Zacchaeus), to those who committed acts of adultery, to the refugees.......because Jesus was a refugee!
Remember when Joseph and Mary were running away from persecution with Jesus, knowing that all of King Herod's horses and all of King Herod's men were going after baby boys again?
If you don't remember, or didn't know that, check out Matthew 2 for a quick Bible action-adventure story.
______________________
God is going to judge us when we get up to Heaven, but I doubt He looks at our outward appearance to determine what we've been through (even though God is all-knowing).
So why should we do the same? We know why we do it, so let's take a breath, realize where we messed up, and strive to be more like Jesus, not like the person next to us.
Take 1/3000th of your day...and give that to someone else. And if you think you can do more, give 2/3000, 10/3000, 100/3000!
It doesn't matter how much you give, but how much love you put into giving! @MotherTheresa
If what you give comes from your heart, not your ego, then that means something, and it's going to change someone's life, regardless of whether or not you see the impact right away.
Questions to toss-up to God:
1. How can you give of yourself today? This week at work or at school? This upcoming month?
2. Who can you give your time to? Is there someone you need to forgive/apologize to?
3. What's 1/3000th of your day?
Pray…….that God would give you a heart of kindness, peace, and love...especially when you really don't feel like giving anyone anything!
With that said,
Live, love, and be loved.
Comments