“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42
“Daddy, how come you have time to go to a baseball game tonight, but you don’t have time to fix my bike chain?” asked my 6-year-old.
“Well, buddy,” I started to explain, “it’s not quite that simple.” “You see it’s part of my job to go to the game since it’s a church activity.” Of course, I immediately realized that sounded pretty stupid, so I set to work on fixing his chain as I continued defending my actions. I mumbled on for a few minutes vainly trying to make my priorities sound reasonable, but, of course, that was a lost cause. Fortunately, six-year-olds are more interested in getting their bikes fixed than on scrutinizing faulty logic.
It’s funny that I thought I could watch baseball for Jesus, but I didn’t have time to help my own son for five minutes for Jesus. It sure seemed pretty obvious to my son what the right thing to do was, but somehow I missed it. Sometimes I get fooled into thinking that simple acts of kindness are unspiritual work. Going to church, serving in ministries, and reading my Bible all seem to be spiritual work (and let’s not forget attending baseball games), but somehow fixing a bike chain seems different.
I wonder how often we miss opportunities to serve Jesus because we don’t view ordinary acts of kindness as being spiritual. Does giving someone a cup of cold water only count if they are dressed in rags, or does it also count if they are 3 ½ feet tall and their cup has a spill-proof lid on it? We need to remind ourselves that even the most ordinary acts of kindness are spiritual works that please God—even putting on bike chains.
“Daddy, how come you have time to go to a baseball game tonight, but you don’t have time to fix my bike chain?” asked my 6-year-old.
“Well, buddy,” I started to explain, “it’s not quite that simple.” “You see it’s part of my job to go to the game since it’s a church activity.” Of course, I immediately realized that sounded pretty stupid, so I set to work on fixing his chain as I continued defending my actions. I mumbled on for a few minutes vainly trying to make my priorities sound reasonable, but, of course, that was a lost cause. Fortunately, six-year-olds are more interested in getting their bikes fixed than on scrutinizing faulty logic.
It’s funny that I thought I could watch baseball for Jesus, but I didn’t have time to help my own son for five minutes for Jesus. It sure seemed pretty obvious to my son what the right thing to do was, but somehow I missed it. Sometimes I get fooled into thinking that simple acts of kindness are unspiritual work. Going to church, serving in ministries, and reading my Bible all seem to be spiritual work (and let’s not forget attending baseball games), but somehow fixing a bike chain seems different.
I wonder how often we miss opportunities to serve Jesus because we don’t view ordinary acts of kindness as being spiritual. Does giving someone a cup of cold water only count if they are dressed in rags, or does it also count if they are 3 ½ feet tall and their cup has a spill-proof lid on it? We need to remind ourselves that even the most ordinary acts of kindness are spiritual works that please God—even putting on bike chains.
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