I read it, and it made me think that I have a looong ways to go, but I'm learning, and that's the good thing. I'm thankful that our God is a God of grace because I so often fail and fall and He's still there to pick me up.
Anyhoo, here's the article:
Top ten things I learned from my father-in-law about how to be a Christian for real:
10. When people need help, help them. Also bring food.
9. Pray often with your eyes open if necessary (say, when you are driving). Sing and laugh often too.
8. Three of the most important gifts you can give your children are love of music, love of reading, and love of the Lord.
7. To give your children these gifts, your must first make time for them in your own life.
6. Be grateful. The meal on your table could not happen without the help of thousands of people all over the world. Two hundred years ago, even kings could not enjoy a meal such as we have most every night. The vast majority of the world does not have access to even the simplest lunch. So be thankful for it.
5. Be kid to people. This is not easy and takes work. At the same time, it is fun. Develop habits of kindness -- build such activities into your life.
4. Sometimes being kind to people means confronting them -- finding ways to get them to think abour getting their kids into seatbelts, ways to help them realize the destruction an affair will cause to all their relationships, ways to get them to stop smoking before it kills them, ways to get then to seek help for alcohol or drug abuse. It is okay to confront people from a position of weakness, acknowledging your own faults, but still remaining firm.
3. Open your door to anybody who needs a meal or a place to stay. Invite them. Word will get around. Don't wait until your house is spotless or you have prepared a special meal. What you have will somehow be enough.
2. Being a Christian means being different. Get over it.
1. Don't be afraid -- of those whose skin is different than your, whose beliefs of worship styles are different from yours, of those who are more powerful than you, of those who are poor, of the culture around you, of those who seem angry or petty or foolish, of trying something that might not work, or of taking a chance on something that seems to be the will of the Lord. If we really believe that our God created, sustains, and redeems the world, we ought to relax and get on with the business of being thankful by taking care of it.
Good thoughts, yes?
Amen.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Going to have to share this one! Wow, what a great post! I'm glad you shared it with us.
ReplyDeleteAdoptingmama from Seattle
lots of kids that came from all kinds of places and circumstances.
I absolutely LOVE this!!!!
ReplyDeleteThese are some really great points. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThese are really good points. I love the wisdom which older and more long-term christians have to share with us.
ReplyDeleteI popped over from Herding Grasshoppers, and I confess it was your mention of six daughters which caught my eye. How wonderful! I love your header on the blog, too.
Ruby
From Australia
Really struck by the kindness bit, Deborah- I wrot "BE kind" on my slip of road paper at yesterday's worship at the Community I had the chance to visit this weekend. And here it is reinforced for me again!
ReplyDeleteThis is really important - so many lists are of the 'big' things that actually don't get done every day. This is a list of the 'real' things, instead of the 'big' (but less important?) ones. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI see from your post below you were ill - I really hope you've had time to rest and recover fully. Three days is a horribly long time for a migraine.
And I kept scrolling down and I saw your Einstein 'science' post. Things like thate really make me worry about the state of things - why is there now a prevailing sense that science is inevitably against God? My husband is a biologist and a Christian. He works with the practical facts of both evolution and creation every day, and praises God for them (he uses them to improve health-care for humans and animals). I know that many scientists have been arrogant and silly, claiming that their discoveries have brought an end to faith, but I think that your point 10 on this list - don't be afraid of the culture around you - means that Christians must stand taller than those arrogant people. There is NOT a real battle between scientific fact and God. Only one between the narrow-minded human nature of some scientists and some Christians. Sorry - I don't mean to attack you at all, but to try to express that God's truth is bigger and better than the petty little rows we sometimes get dragged into. Do let me know what you think if you'd like to - do you think I have a point, or am I way off track?