Sharing

He's not cuddling- he's pushing her off

Gimli doesn't like to share. We've got lots of toys for them both, yet for some reason he cannot bear to let Virginia play with them on her own. When she starts playing with a toy, that becomes the toy he must play with at that moment. He doesn't like to share us either. He will completely push her out of the way if he decides he wants the closest seat to mom and dad. He wants to be comfortable, and if that requires pushing Virginia off the bed in the middle of the night while she's asleep, so be it.

Sharing is tough for me too. But for me it's not about toys or space- it's about the gospel. I have this amazing news that so many people right here in my backyard have never heard- that God loves them, created them to know Him personally, and has provided a way for them to spend eternity in relationship with Him through Jesus, and that way is the only way for anyone to know God. The problem is, this news isn't always well received in our culture. And I'm scared- I'm scared of upsetting someone, losing a friend, being insulted to my face, or even just rejected. It is a very scary proposition to share the gospel of Jesus to those who don't know it yet.

But how important it is that I do share!!  There is no guarantee that the people I am surrounded by who don't know God will ever hear the gospel if I don't share it with them.  It doesn't matter that we are in America. It is no longer true that everyone living in America has heard the gospel of Jesus before. There may be a church on every corner, but so many Americans will never step foot in one. They must know, and we must go to where they are and tell them.

I don't want to be like Gimli with the gospel- only concerned with my own comfort and blind to the needs of others around me. I want to be generous with it- sharing it every chance I get. I am praying for opportunities to do this, for open eyes to notice when those doors open, and for my love of Christ to grow more and more so that I can't help but share about His love because it's on my mind and heart constantly.

Kindness

When we first got Virginia, she immediately began showing affection to all of us. Paul and I loved this of course, but Gimli wasn't so sure. She would come try to snuggle up to him for a nap, and he would get up and move, or push her out of the way. He would find a new place to sleep, she'd follow him there, try to cuddle, he'd move, she'd follow him again, and on and on. They'd do this little dance all around the room for hours. She didn't quite get the memo that he wasn't interested, or at least she wasn't deterred by it. Over time, Gimli started to warm up to her little by little. He let her lay next to his dog bed, and then he let her put her head on the dog bed, then before we knew it, they would cuddle on the dog bed even though it was too small for both of them. She won him over with her sweetness and love.

My mom always told me, "Honey draws more flies than vinegar." It's true- people like to be around nice people and don't want to be around mean people. As Christians, it is exceedingly important that we show kindness to others in every situation, no matter how the other person is responding. We are representing Christ to the world that needs Him, and they will associate our attitudes and actions with Him. What a huge responsibility! I love the saying, "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Why would anyone want to serve the God of a person they don't like or respect? It's also important that we not give up on being kind even when others are not kind in response. Sometimes those who seem the farthest off are often the closest to being ready to trust Christ. We have no idea what's going on in people's lives, what they've experienced, how others have hurt them in the past, and if they are rebelling against God's tugging on their hearts. Unfortunately, many people have been hurt by mean Christians, and therefore we have to be even more kind to them to make up for those negative experiences. It's worth it because every person in the world is irreplaceable and invaluable to God, and if we don't share with them about Jesus' love for them, who will?

I pray that I would be diligent and not give up showing kindness to others like Virginia, so that others might be won over to Jesus because they experienced a little taste of His love for them through me. What an honor that would be!