Day #28 – Roll Up My Sleeves? Yesss!

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Saturday, March 21, 2015

My A Year of Being Kind t-shirt!

Day #28 – Roll Up My Sleeves? Yesss!

When I read the #40acts post for today, I couldn’t have been more pleased. This blog post was right up my alley. I don’t know if you know, but I am intimately acquainted with this idea. I wrote a daily blog in 2014 called A Year of Being Kind: 365 Days of Service.

In this blog, I tried to focus on being kind, being helpful, and being of service. In most blog entries, I tried to write about how I tried to be kind. Each Friday, I focused on someone else being helpful or of service. (Yes, a Focus Friday!) I was successful in writing every day in 2014. What a wonderful offering to God! And, what an opportunity to show my friends, family, church, and strangers that God loved them, too. (I am still highlighting my Being Kind posts, at ayearofbeingkind.wordpress.com . )

Yes, I immediately connected with #40acts back in February, when I saw that they were offering the opportunity for people to do 40 acts of generosity and kindness. When #40acts asked people to think about how much they could affect their neighborhood, their church, their friends, their workplace, their school. This is a marvelous chance to truly change the world! One generous, kind act at a time.

Practical generosity. The kind that gets things done, one act at a time. One day at a time.

Before I even saw today’s suggestion for Day #28, I saw an older woman trying to open a door at a coffee shop, later last night. The woman had mobility issues, difficulty with her feet, and walked with a cane. Without even thinking about it, I held the door open for her. (Second nature, I suppose.) I smiled at her with my friendly, cheerful expression, and waited for her to slowly make her way through the doorway.

After getting my coffee, I proceeded out the other way. I saw the older woman again, near the bathroom. She had dropped one of her gloves, and was trying to scoot it up the wall with her cane. (She had difficulty bending over.) She wasn’t doing very well, and I could see her start to get frustrated. I stooped to get the glove and gave it to her on my way out. She was so grateful!

I don’t mean to pat myself on the back, but that is typical of what I often do. I help people. I’m often kind and of service. Of course, having the spiritual gifts of helps, mercy, discernment and spiritual nurture makes it easier. (Note I did not say “easy!” No. Just easier.) I wonder how much I have affected the world? The world? Nah!! Too grandiose. My neighborhood is enough for me.

God willing, I can express God’s love. And I can preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, I can even use words. Thank You, Lord!

@chaplaineliza

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

(Check out #40acts; doing Lent generously at www.40acts.org.uk )

Why not visit my sister blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.  I also have Being Kind t-shirts at my blogs, too. @chaplaineliza And read #40acts sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er .

Day #7 – Do I Really Need That Stuff? Praying About It.

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Day #7 – Do I Really Need That Stuff? Praying About It.

I opened the email from 40acts today with curiosity, wanting to see what was in store for this day. This generous act. At first read, I thought, “Oh, I’ve got this. I don’t have any difficulty with money. I’m pretty generous with what I have.” There I was, patting myself on the back for being generous. When I have the money, that is. Which is not always the case.

But . . . something inside me did not seem right. My eyes went up to the top of the screen, and I read through the article again. After some consideration, I thought, “We live in such a small place—only four rooms. There isn’t all that much stuff around here. At least, expensive stuff. My goodness, the most expensive thing here is the upright Kawai piano. Everything else is either cut rate, discounted, from thrift shops or second hand. But I was thinking about furniture.

I went back to the beginning of the article, for the third time. This time, I congratulated myself with the thought, “I just don’t have much problem with giving stuff away.” But then, I thought about my books. I love books—I really and truly love books. Three rooms have four floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in them, and six medium size bookshelves. (In the interest of rigorous honesty, I must admit I am also married to a bibliophile.)

And clothes. I sometimes shop at resale shops, and I love the selections I get. I do give away the occasional two or three shopping bags worth of stuff—recycling to various resale shops, but there always seems to be more. And more. The bookshelves are groaning. My closet and dresser drawers are stuffed.

God, help me to get rid of some of this extra stuff. Please. I have two members in my extended family who are trying to live a more simplified lifestyle. Not because they are trying to be more Christlike, but because it’s more of a green, eco-conscious, earth-friendly way of living. All of which I approve of! Simplifying my life is being a good steward of this part of the world, and I truly believe this would please God.

God, I really will try to get rid of some of my beloved books. And, streamline some of the clothes I have clogging up the storage space in my bedroom. That will free up some room, and make this apartment more of a spacious and pleasant place to be. So help me, God.

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

(Check out #40acts; doing Lent generously at www.40acts.org.uk )

Why not visit my sister blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.   @chaplaineliza And read #40acts sermons sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er .