Be REAL {Jesus was}

The other day, I was visiting my parents. My dad and I went to Walmart to pick up a few things.


As we were walking back to our car, an older man looked to my dad and said, "Hey! How are you doing?"


My dad replied with an, "I'm good, thanks for asking."


No big deal.


i, on the other hand, was just dying to get to the car. As soon as my dad was inside, I immediately asked him, "Did you know that guy?"


"No. He was just being friendly."


"He's a weirdo. That is so creepy!" were the first words out of my mouth.


As soon as I said that, I wondered, "Why?"


What did that man do wrong to make me think he was weird or creepy? I think the real question is what did he do right.


"A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself." {Proverbs 11:17}


Back before my time, people used to be different. If you saw someone on the street, you would say hello. You would flash your best smile. If someone needed help reaching an item in the store, you would grab it for them. People would engage in real conversations, not just small talk ending with an, "I'm fine", when really, who is?


You want to know what happened?


People got busy. Suddenly, there was no time for conversations, warm smiles, befriending the woman in line in front of you at the grocery. It was just... go, go, go.


We made a mistake.


That is not how life should be! We should not be weirded out when someone says hello to us. Sadly, that's what it's come to. 


In my life, I've always had to goal of becoming more like Jesus with each passing breath. 


"For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them." {2 Peter 2:21}


In so many ways, none of us are like Jesus. Times were much simpler 2,000 years ago. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.


Jesus was non-judgmental. Even when he was around those who didn't believe in Him, those who tortured and mocked Him, He wasn't rude. He was kind, offering up advice to anyone who asked for it, telling people that all they needed to do was repent, and they would be saved.


"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." {James 4:17}


Friends, as Christians you sometimes have to go against the grain. Society has been turned, twisted, and reshaped. WE have new "Normals", when what we really need to stick to is the original "normals" and standards set by Christ, himself.

Be kind to one another.

Show compassion. 

Lend a helping hand.

Accept people for who they are. 

Do random nice things for complete strangers and out-of-the-blue times.

Be a source of encouragement.

Go a little deeper than to just say, "I'm fine." Be REAL with someone.

As Gandhi says, "Be the change you want to see in this world." Be the change. Don't wait for someone else to be the change and then jump on the bandwagon. Because I'm telling you, friends... that won't happen. 


Be the trend setter. Take a step in the godly direction. Every great journey starts with one small step, right?


"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." {Ephesians 4:32}


I'm really going to try to live with this new outlook on life. It's not creepy to say hello to someone. Truthfully, it's scary that in the past few months, I've only seen that one man do it.


"They profess to know God, but they deny Him in their works." {Titus 1:16} 


I've often wondered if people can tell your a Christ follower. We don't look any different or dress any different  However, I hope that people are able to see it through my countenance. My newfound willingness to go the extra mile to be more like Jesus, and let his powerful kindness radiate through me and lead my spirit.  


"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." {Romans 12:2}

"Bubba" Day

Have you ever met someone who was just so kind? Who never took a day for granted? Who cherished every moment of their life? Who had an award winning smile that could brighten even the worst of days? I have.

Alex “Bubba” Peck.

Alex was born with Cerebral Palsy. That just goes to show you: even confined to a wheelchair, I know Alex encouraged so many more people than many of us. He was just… great.

If you haven’t already noticed, I’ve been writing in past tense. Oh, how I wish I didn’t have to tell you this.

Back in December, Alex got very sick. He caught a bad infection.

On December 18, Alex’s spirit left Kosair Children’s Hospital headed to the place we all know as Heaven.

He was only 13. It’s so incredibly… sad. I know it’s so cliché, but he really is in a better place. With the best One of all.

Alex left behind a memory that will never be forgotten. That was made so evident today, during a day I can only call… “Bubba” Day.

February 27^th would have been Alex’s 14^th  Birthday. In memory, the mayor of our town organized this day to celebrate.

I am an assistant teacher at his old middle school, so I was there to experience it all.

First, everyone was given a green ribbon (if they wanted one) to wear. It was a pledge to be kind and smile, as Alex had done everyday.

There were large handmade signs with inspirational things written on them. I remember one in particular:

“Bubba Day is the Sun’s Ray”

During lunch, the sweet kiddos that had been in Alex’s special needs class passed out candy. I got a mint:

Happy "Bubba" Day 2011!

We are "mint" to be kind to everyone!

My favorite thing about the day, though, was something a sixth grader named Zoë said to me after school. (I wait outside to make sure the kids get to their buses. I do a little bit of everything!)

Zoë walked right up to me and said, “ Why do we need to have a day for being kind?”

I don’t know, Zoe!

She really poses a great question. Why do we need special ribbons and chocolates to get kids to be kind to each other? Alex was kind everyday, without any ulterior motive.

He was REAL.

Thank you, Alex, for overcoming all else and leaving your mark on this world. Because in the end, that’s all that really matters.

See you Someday.

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there.” – 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Blessings! 

The Whole World... in a Simple Gesture

Note: Turn off my music at the bottom of the page before viewing!

This video was recommended to me by a friend. I just watched it... wow.
It just got me thinking...life is not all about us! There are what... 6 billion people in this world? My life is not all about me. A smile, a thank-you, a few kind words, a few minutes of your time, can literally mean the world to someone else.

I'm going to focus on putting others before myself.

"We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that your is the only path" - Paulo Coelho

We don't know what kinds of things other people have been through... so that's why I'm vowing to flash that smile to everyone I see.

God Bless,

Sydney

How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it...

I had planned to post about something completely different today, but what do you know? God had different ideas.

My family and I were on our way back home from getting some groceries from Kroger. We decided to stop for gas at the Kroger gas station. We filled up the tank, but when my dad put the key in the ignition and turned, we did not get what we expected. A strange noise came out of our truck. No matter what we did, the truck would not start. We were officially stuck in front of a gas station pump.

We sat in the truck contemplating what to do for a few minutes. We did not know what the problem was, how to fix it, who to call, etc. The kind gas station attendant, bless her heart, came out to us and asked us what we needed. She said to my father, " Is it something you can fix yourself? If it is, you can take my car to go get what you need." I was so shocked by that! Such a random act of kindness. She was offering us, a couple of random strangers with car trouble, her VEHICLE to go driving off to the car shop. I can't think of a single other person, besides family and friends of course, that would just offer a "stranger in need" their car out of the kindness of their heart.

We didn't really know what the problem was, so we decided to wait it out. This one woman who was just getting some gas happened to overhear about our trouble. She went over and informed the gas station attendant that her husband was a mechanic. What luck! He wasn't with her, but she called him and then gave the gas station attendant some suggestions as for what we should do. There I was, pacing around the gas station in all my winter gear, thinking, "Oh, how blessed we are to have so many people caring about us! God is good!" My aunt and uncle came over to the gas station shortly after this, and we jump started our truck. While we were hooking up all the wires to jump start the car, my mom commented that she hoped it worked because we were blocking the gas pump. That same attendant replied with, " Oh we aren't worried about that." I was just so touched by her helpful spirit. She didn't care that we were blocking the gas pump; she genuinely just cared that we could get our car started up again.

We got the car started and drove straight over to Wal-mart where they replaced our battery for us. After that, we were on our way home again in our just-like-new truck. It wasn't a big event, but sometimes its the little things that really matter.

"Do something wonderful, people may imitate it." -Albert Schweitzer

In a way, I feel like our car battery dying was a good thing. Everything happens for a reason right? I believe it was meant to be. God led us to the gas station so that we could be touched by the kindness of that attendant and that mechanics wife. I never did catch their names, but they still deserve to be recognized. God is just amazing. He gets us through every situation, and more than that, he helps us to realize the importance of something else. The importance of Kindness was made so evident by God in my adventure today. You are never in too much of a time crunch to stop and help someone out. Show kindness, and you will be repaid. I'm not sure how yet, but I do want to repay those lovely people for their kindness.

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever." - Margaret Cho

Make a point to thank God for all those who have shown kindness to you. Kindness really is a virtue. Remember, God IS there, and he answers our prayers in simple ways like that. Pray, and be thankful!

God Bless,

Sydney

"Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." -Ephesians 4:32.