Becoming Kind

What is your torment?

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" - Luke 16:19-31

We love a great deal, don't we?

That's why I think we should look at what God is offering us through Jesus as a deal we should not refuse. 

All we need to do is a little bit of loving of our neighbors each day, and when we retire from this life, we have eternal benefits beyond our imaginations.

Sound good?

Sound easy?

Then why don't we do it? Why do we, like the man in fine clothing, ignore the needs around us?

None of us wants to be tormented in life, or worse, for eternity, right? So, what's the big deal.

Maybe all we need is a simple checklist. We can start each day with an act of kindness for our fellow humans, and then we're done for the day. 

Sure, more opportunities may come up, and if they do, we take them, but that doesn't mean we don't start all over again tomorrow.

Many of us feel we accumulate goodness. We spend a few years volunteering and then we're done. We can retire and live happily. But wait!

Why not keep it going?

We might start to enjoy it. And, remember, there is a big pay-off. But that is not why we do it. After doing acts of kindness for a while, we simply become kind.

More to come...