July 2019 Articles

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Spiritual Corner: Always Be Humble and Kind

Spiritual Corner: Always Be Humble and Kind Last Sunday, our preacher said something that has resonated with me and convicted me. He said, “We must do for others without expecting anything in return”. This means we cannot expect even a small, verbal “thank you” or a hug for being kind to another. I don’t know about you, but I was convicted when I heard my preacher say this. I was convicted because that small task is hard for me. I love to help people and do for others and it’s not that I need any elaborate kind of thank you for it, but my love language is “Words of Affirmation”, meaning I feel appreciated through positive words. Therefore, that part of me often yearns for a simple “thank you” or “you’re so sweet” if I’ve done something good. I thought about this challenge issued last Sunday and realized that I need to stop relying always on affirmation from people and depend on affirmation from God. You see, if we stay in God’s Word and in communication with Him, we don’t have to rely on what people think of us or depend on what people say to us. We can know that God loves us and is proud of us when we do His will and help other people or serve Him. Honestly, that should be all the affirmation we truly need is to know that we are following what God wants us to do. Also, we need to make sure that we’re not doing good things just so we can be seen and praised by others. We need to do good things, even when we think no one is looking, because often times, that’s where we can impact people the most. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus shares a parable about two men, a Pharisee and a publican. Both of these men go to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stood where he knew others could see and hear him and he prayed a very prideful prayer, thanking God that he was not a sinner like so many others and bragging to God of the things he did constantly for Him. The publican, on the other hand, went to a corner of the temple, trying not to draw attention to himself. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes to the heavens and he asked for God to be merciful on him for he knew he was a sinner. Now, just imagine if you had witnessed these two men praying. Which man would have impacted you more? The Pharisee, who was bragging on himself, hoping others were watching? Or the publican, who tried to remain unseen, but was praying so sincerely? We, as Christians, must do for others, expecting nothing in return, and be humble, whether we’re in front of a crowd or whether we think we’re all by our self. We never know who could be watching and how our actions could be impacting them for the kingdom. I’m going to leave you with a poem that I think is fitting with this article. I’m not sure who the author is. I like it because it reminds me that we need to always do good, even when we think our kids or, in my case, my students, aren’t watching, because we could be impacting them more than we know even during the parts of our lives that we think they don’t see. --Dana Alexander When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking”

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You hung my first painting on the refrigerator
And I wanted to paint another.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You fed a stray cat
And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You baked a birthday cake just for me
And I knew that little things were special
things.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You said a prayer
And I believed there was a God that I could
Always talk to.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You kissed me good-night
And I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
I saw tears come from your eyes
And I learned that sometimes things hurt
But that it’s alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking…
I looked at you and wanted to say,
“Thanks for all the things I saw when you
Thought I wasn’t looking”.