Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Devotionals for the Heart: Water


Sharing cool water and more…
A devotional by Melissa Henderson

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
—Luke 3:10-11 (NIV)

Today was a typical warm, humid and breezy day in coastal South Carolina. The bright rays of sunshine burst forth from the puffy clouds in between rain sprinkles. At one moment, the sky looked as if rain would moisten the ground all day. The next moment, sunshine seemed to be positioned in the sky and not ready to leave.

A black pickup truck filled with construction supplies arrived and parked in front of our neighbor’s house. The same pickup truck had been coming and going all week. Several men would step out of the vehicle each morning and begin carrying tools and supplies to the back yard. Our neighbor was having a patio poured at the back of her house. The same gentlemen showed up each day and began the task at hand.

Today, that project was completed and a new project began. Those hard workers not only poured patios, they could also powerwash homes and driveways, too. My husband and I watched from the inside of our air-conditioned home, fascinated by their work and dedication to the tasks. These guys worked hard. We didn’t know their names, but we watched to make sure they were okay in the heat. One man was older and there were several younger men.

This afternoon, I noticed the black truck was gone and two men were sitting on a ladder. They seemed to be waiting for a ride. Their work was finished for the day and their bodies looked exhausted. Sweaty shirts, sweat on their brows and slow movements showed how the work had tired them.

A thought crossed my mind, “Wonder if they are thirsty? Wonder if we should take them some water?” As quickly as the thoughts entered my mind, I became distracted by something else. I had seen an opportunity to show God’s love and I had let it slip away, distracted by a meaningless thought about something else.

Shortly afterward, I heard voices outside. Still, I waited and completed what I was doing instead of checking on the gentlemen.

As I walked downstairs, my husband was coming in the front door. “I took some water to the guys out front. They are waiting for their ride. I asked them if they would like some water and they said, “Yes” and “Thank you.”

I am very proud of my husband. He saw a possible need and he acted on his nudge from God. I did not act, thinking I would do something later. I am very upset with myself. I am thankful my husband opened his heart and offered kindness to strangers.

Too often, we postpone acts of kindness, thinking we will do something later. But, now is the time to show God’s love. Don’t put off a nudge from God. Someone might have a need that you can help with and you are given that opportunity to show compassion and kindness.

Can you think of times when you wanted to show kindness and put off the chance, thinking you could do something later? In expressing His love through giving a bottle of water to some strangers, they have been shown the love of God.

We may never see these gentlemen again. I will remember them even though I never learned their names or anything about them. They gave me a lesson today and I will remember that lesson.

God’s love can be shown in many ways. How are you showing His love to others?

Blessings,

Melissa Henderson

~*~
Author Bio:
Melissa Henderson and her husband Alan live in South Carolina.

Married for over 38 years, they have one son (Mike) who is married to daughter-in-love (Christine) and now are blessed by precious grandson (Rowan).

Melissa was taught the love of reading and writing at an early age from her parents. She is now working on her first inspirational fiction novel.

Her passions are volunteering, Bible Studies and reading and writing. 
Connect with Melissa online, https://mimionlife.wordpress.com.

23 comments:

  1. Good reminder to always follow those nudgings.

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  2. Thank you for sharing my message today Alexis. :-)

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  3. I love this reminder that a glass of water is a big act of kindness. I need to slow down and look for those small (big!) ways to show God's love.

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    1. Amazing how we can see God's love in many different ways. :-)

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  4. Very touching devotional, Mimi! Thank you!

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  5. Convicting and powerful devotion, Melissa. We often do postpone acts of kindness. But Jesus certainly never did. Thanks for this reminder.

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  6. Hi Melissa, Thank you for the inspirational devotional.

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  7. Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you for reading and commenting Carol. Have a blessed day!

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  8. I definitely do the same where I think, "I'll get to it. It doesn't need to happen right now." But then I miss the moment of doing an act of kindness. Thanks for this conviction!

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    1. I think there are times we all miss special moments. I am going to purposefully look for moments to show His love. Have a blessed day!

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  9. Ah, those God nudges! I can question them too, at times instead of immediately acting upon His prompting. The beauty is we receive God's love in return, with a full heart from giving, when we act upon those nudges.

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    1. Yes, I pray we all act on those nudges from God. :-)

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  10. We don't often get a second chance to respond to the nudge--and then we feel awful. Great reminder here! Thanks and God bless!

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    1. Thank you Nancy. Yes, I feel awful when I realize I had a chance to show His love and missed the chance. Have a blessed day!

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  11. Dear Melissa!

    Thank you, it a pleasure reading your blog posts about what's going on in your area. It's essential not to wait with showing kindness when the possibility is there.

    God bless!
    Edna Davidsen

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    1. Thank you for reading and commenting Edna. I agree, don't wait to show kindness. We never know when someone needs to be shown love and care. :-) Have a blessed day!

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