"But [a] fruit of the spirit is...kindness" Galatians 5:22
Do you know one character trait that is always appreciated? Proverbs 19:22 tells us "What is desirable in a man is kindness." Acts of kindness inspire us, whether it's taking time to help an employee at the office, or defending a person being picked on by bullies. The recipients of these acts of kindness are always grateful. The one person who comes to mind when I think of kindness is Jesus Christ. He shows us that God is kind. And because He is so kind to us, we are to be kind to one another. Especially in a busy world where so many seem to be looking out for number one, acts of kindness are always appreciated. Die manier waarop jy op die lewe reageer, verklap baie van jouself. Almal word deur teëspoed platgeslaan. Al wat saakmaak, is hoe vinnig jy weer op jou voete kom. Verla Gillmor sê: "Mislukking leer ons dinge wat ons op geen ander manier kan leer nie... Ons moet dit hanteer soos 'n gas wat slegte nuus bring, maar ons moenie toelaat dat dit by ons kom bly nie. Alle mislukkings dra ook nie dieselfde gewig nie. As 'n pragtige, talentvolle meisie die tweede in 'n skoonheidskompetisie kom, sal baie mense meen sy het misluk, maar daar is ander mense wat hul regterarm sal gee om as die tweede mooiste vrou in 'n kompetisie aangewys te word. Dit gaan oor perspektief. Ek het een keer 'n D op universiteit gekry. Dit het my vreeslik gepla. Hoekom fokus ek daarop en nie op die feit dat dit gebeur het in die termyn wat ek klas moes loop terwyl ek deeltyds gewerk het, verloof geraak het en vir ses weke in die bed was met mononukleose nie? As ek hierdie ervaring in konteks plaas, verloor dit die mag om my selfvertroue te ondermyn. Mislukking leer ons wat belangrik is. Ek het 'n vriendin wat haar werk verloor het... Sy was verbaas omdat sy haar werk goed gedoen het. 'Ek was nogal hoogmoedig,' sê sy, 'Ek het daarmee weggekom omdat ek so suksesvol was. Die afdanking het my nederig gemaak. Hoogmoed laat geen ruimte vir mislukking nie. Dis 'n groot las... My gees is ligter sonder die las om perfek te probeer wees.'
Sielekos: 1 Kron. 16-18; Luk 12:49-59; Ps 119:41-48; Spr. 21:1-3 Reading from Scripture
Exodus 20:8-11 Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work---…… In six days I, the Lord, made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the Lord, blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. To the Israelites Egypt and slavery were synonymous. It reminded them of a time without rest or peace. When they were eventually freed, they were afforded the opportunity of enjoying the order built into creation: six days of work, with an opportunity for rest on the seventh. As God had done. There was an inherent rhythm built into creation for the benefit of mankind. Work was regarded as part of a calling to serve and promote culture. Rest was an opportunity to take a breather. When God rested on the seventh day it was never meant to be understood as doing nothing. After having completed creation, He occupied Himself in a different way – by taking care of everything He had made. This also benefitted man and gave him the right and privilege to rest from his normal daily routine to focus on something else. Human wreckages are visible strewn all over society due to the pace that we try and maintain to fit in everything. In many cases people do things to secure a more comfortable and luxurious lifestyle. Ironically, the very same people are often so busy, denying themselves the opportunity of enjoying any of these ‘fruits’! People have different views on the interpretation of this commandment. To some it does not really matter to which specific day of the week it refers: the seventh day after six days of work constitutes Sabbath to them. Others stick to the Old Testament version of the Sabbath, namely the Saturday. The majority of Christians celebrate the resurrection on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Whatever interpretation you have, we owe it to the Lord, to ourselves and to each other to take a break, to rest – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Allow yourself a breather. Dear Lord, help me organise my life to allow myself some rest, having done my work. Amen. Elkeen het nou ‘n plek – party sit voor, die ander agter en daar is selfs twee wat ‘n plekkie op die vloer het. Uiteindelik is almal uit die bus sodat ek die register kan lees om te sien of almal daar is.
“Daar kom Wynand, hy’s alweer laat!” : sê een. Ek sien egter dat daar nog 10 minute voor vertrektyd is. “Nou het julle 5 minute om toilet toe te gaan en almal moet gaan!!” Vir almal is dit ‘n groot grap, maar om ‘n toilet tussen niks en nerêns in die Noord-Kaap te kry, is nie ‘n grap nie. Dan is dit 9-uur en vertrektyd!!! Almal vat hande en die Liewe Vader se beskerming en seën word gevra. Net ‘n minuut word toegelaat om te groet. ‘n Minuut is egter te lank vir die kinders – mammas en pappas staan verstom-verslae om geen traan of hartseer by die kinders te sien nie, maar eerder ‘n “oorhaastigheid” om weg te kom. Dan is ons oppad ….. en van die ouers is saam met ons oppad, tot sover as 30 kilometer vanaf Kimberley!!! Selfs die kinders kan dit nie glo nie. Dit is net na twee in die oggend en nog steeds, het Klaasvakie nie die toergroep oppad, na die Burgerstrandhuis, in Kaapstad besoek nie. Die opgewondheid in die bus is groot – so groot dat een nie eers agterkom hy het sy donkerbrille op nie. Van hierdie graad 7-klas is daar leerlinge wat vir die eerste maal die see gaan sien. Dan sien ek Deonette in die paadjie, tussen die banke, aangeseil kom op haar boudjies. Weens ‘n seldsame siekte op die ouderdom van ongeveer 3 jaar, is beide haar beentjies onder haar knieë geamputeer en aan beide hande is drie vingertjies ook geamputeer. As gevolg van hierdie toestand (liggaamlike gebrek) is sy deur haar ouers verwerp en in ‘n tehuis geplaas. Dan is sy langs my met ‘n kussing in haar mond. Kan ek maar by Mnr. sit? – wil sy weet. Ek is maar te dankbaar – iemand om my wakker te hou. Ek gee vir haar my “weermag jas” om haar warm te hou. Sy voel in die sakke en haal my Gideons Bybel’tjie uit – dit gee my die geleentheid om te getuig hoe ek wedergebore is, en hoe Jesus die bybel’tjie gebruik het. Sy is so aangeraak en ek nou helder wakker. Sy wil weet na wie ek luister op my “walkman”. Ek laat die bandjie terugloop en laat haar luister na Danie Botha se “Honestly Jesus You can strip met to the Core”. Skielik begin sy saggies te huil. “Mnr., Liewe Jesus het my klaar “gestrip”. Sy haal die jas van haar af en hou haar Stompies (geamputeerde beentjies) styf vas met haar verwronge handjies. Ek kyk af na hierdie hartverskeurende werklikheid, begin saggies saam met haar huil en trek haar styf teen my vas met my linkerarm. Hardop begin ek met my Vader redeneer. Wat van haar sottekonsertdans, haar matriekafskeiddans, sy is binnekort ‘n volwasse vrou? Sy sal mos ook graag binnekort vroulik wil aantrek of dalk ‘n “jean” wil aanpas. Nou loop die trane sonder keer. “Here Jesus, hoe kon dit gebeur, hoe kan dit wees, dat hierdie “halwe mensie”, ten spyte van verwerping en al haar gebreke nogtans so lekker uit haar maag lag em met haar maats kan skerts?” Ek hoor dat sy sagter snik en voel hoe sy haar gesiggie teen my hemp afdroog. Dan weer half uitasem: “Ek is klaar gestrip”. ‘n Lang stilte volg. Ek gee vir haar toilet papier om haar neusie te blaas, tel haar op en laat haar op my linkerbeen sit. Ek kyk af en sien die twee rye trane op haar wangetjies. Ek begin bid en vra vir antwoorde, ook dat die Liewe Vader van hierdie twee rye trane reënboë moet maak, haar trane sal opvang en kristalle daarvan maak. Skielik kom die antwoorde duidelik: Joh 13:7 [… dit wat nou met jou gebeur sal jy nie nou verstaan nie, maal wel later.] Sag 2:8 [… jy is My oogappel…] Jes 43:1-5 [… jy is Myne, jy is kostelik in My oë …] Ek begin deel met haar soos die Gees van God my lei met betrekking tot verheerlikte liggame in die Hemel. En skielik kom die trane weer, maar trane van blydskap “Mnr., my Stompies gaan lank wees in die Hemel”. Nou het sy my om die nek en huil ons saam om dankie te sê vir Jesus!! Sy neem die “walkman” plaas dit weer op haar ore en luister verder. Skielik kry haar Stompies lewe, dit wip op en af. Sy sing hardop saam “… die Here maak my voete soos die van ‘n Ribbok …” Ek kyk af, en in die Gees sien ek ‘n gesig wat ek nooit sal kan vergeet, of in “detail” kan beskryf of verduidelik nie – daar’s voetjies aan die Stompies!!! Deonette ons sien mekaar by Jesus!!!!! Past. Leon Terblanche “Mag ander Jesus in jou sien as hulle na jou kyk”. "And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years" Acts 13:21 One of my friends said it yesterday. I had heard it before. I have said it before. "You had better be careful what you ask for (in prayer), you might get it." Indeed, that is exactly what happened to Israel. All the other nations had kings. Israel had an old prophet. All the other countries had national leaders. Israel had a high priest. Israel asked the aging prophet for a king. They wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a figure they could look to for protection. They wanted a king. (If you remember, Moses said this time would come. He prophesied that they would want a king. He also said that king would lead them in wrong paths.) So God gave them a king. Saul. He reigned for forty years. He was an imposing figure, head and shoulders taller than his countrymen. He was strong. He was promoted to king of all Israel -- and he was a failure. As time passed, Israel began to see that their king was just a man with all of man's weaknesses. He may have been strong as an ox, but he was as weak as a hollow tree in spirit. He lacked the mental strength to be a powerful leader. He became overwhelmed with his own authority -- his own ambition. And he fell. And he almost took Israel with him. We have all been in Israel's position. We want what we want and we want it now! Not only do we want it, but we demand that God provide it. We don't want to wait for it. We don't want to pay the price for it. We don't want to save for it. We want it -- NOW! And God had better come through because if He doesn't we will do it ourselves. And we pay the price. And that price is much higher than the cost of the thing we want. It is a spiritual price that goes far beyond a few dollars. It saps the soul of strength. It drains the spirit of energy. It taps the resources we have reserved for God's mission, and we suffer for it. We are in pain. We are weakened. Because of our weakness, others begin to suffer with us. We no longer have the spiritual fortitude to help our brother or our sister. Instead we are pulling from them the strength they need for their own battles. A downward spiral has begun. The trail of smoke can be seen for miles around. Doom and defeat seem eminent. But wait. Inside that hulk of a dying body is a pilot -- no, The Pilot. He has not bailed out yet. He has not given up the ship. He is pulling. He is fighting the battle for us. And He has the strength to pull us out of that fatal nosedive we have forced upon ourselves. At the last moment, the flaming hulk of our life is saved and set on a path to recovery. Not because of our strength, but because of the authority of the One who knows how to save the dying. Israel had his David. We have our Jesus. Both are redeemers. David saved a dying nation. Jesus saves a dying soul. Behold, your redemption draws near. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen. Behold, children are a gift from the Lord..." Psalm 127:3
Probably the most difficult job is the job of parenting; the challenge of guiding a child through the demands of growing up and helping that child become all he or she was created to be. The Bible provides timeless insight. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." The way he should go means according to his bent. This means we have to be students of our children--learning to recognize their God-given abilities and interests. We're also to help our children develop their strengths, as well as curb and check their weaknesses. Once we become students of our children and teach them right from wrong with a lot of prayer, the promise of God can be realized. The challenge is a great one, but the rewards of seeing our children become mature, productive adults makes all the hard work worthwhile. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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