If you missed last weekend’s simulcast of Beth Moore at the Powell Butte Christian Church, do not fear! I took copious notes because, as usual, she was talking RIGHT. TO. ME (and the friend sitting next to me, who can thank me later for not blowing her cover!) Also, as usual, there were about 17 things that threatened to keep me from attending AT ALL. Like, how, before I even woke up a kid was standing over me saying “Mom. There’s another bird in the wood stove. Mom. Mom. MOM!” And, yes, as usual, My Man was on orders at the air base for a-week-and-a-freaking-half! Which means that the gate across the driveway that completes the gazillion dollars worth of fencing, that keeps our dogs from leaving the ten sprawling acres we’ve deeded over to them, fell off its hinges again…as usual.
However, despite the fact that I KNEW we would soar gigs and gigs over what our internet service provider allows us each month, I handed the teenager and his charges the instant watch pass code for Netflix, and off I went to hang with my BFF Beth. Don’t be judging me now, because that would mean she was talking RIGHT. TO. YOU, too!
After about thirty seconds of listening to Beth, I was kicking myself for not bringing all my kids, all their friends, and all their friends’ friends, because her sermon was all about KINDNESS, and here’s her explanation of why. Exhibit A: we live in a mean world. Exhibit B: Sooner or later we all open our mouths. She went on to share that kindness is not the same as weakness, kindness is not just an action but a disposition, kindness wears down when we do, kindness looks pain in the face, kindness can save lives, kindness has good memory, and kindness craves an outlet.
The point that grabbed me the most though was her assertion that kindness leaves a legacy. Case in point: there are Biblical accounts of the unusual kindness that the Apostle Paul experienced on the Island of Malta (Acts 28). And “coincidentally,” just this month, the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation conducted a survey that ranked Malta in first place with regards to the largest percentage of the population (83%) giving money to charity. Now THAT’S a Legacy!
Every fiber of my being hopes that my own little legacies will grasp, live out and pass on the truth about kindness as exemplified by the ultimate Philanthropist and Author of Kindness Himself. I’m mindful, however, that my steadfast resistance to the suppressors of truth will not be tolerated. Particularly by those who believe in things like serendipity or inventing their own personal truth to create a seductive new spirituality that is offensive to no one and welcoming to all. We’re bombarded with this mantra by the pied pipers of daytime television (whose primary mission is to O.W.N. everything), and it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of people who refuse to settle for moral relativism. Sort of like Beth’s closing story about the time her Mother-in-Law replaced the family’s traditional Thanksgiving feast with turducken, which is a dish consisting of a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed into a de-boned turkey. And who wants to partake of that?!
