You’ve seen him. He’s the old man on the corner who’s mower has just broken down. It's Spring in Texas. It's time to trim off the brown grass and let the new growth get some sunlight. He's been eyeing his weeds all week.
You’d go talk to him, but you figure now isn’t the time. He seems pretty disgusted at his predicament.
But really, now is the time. Now is when he needs someone to offer to help him out. He’s pretty independent and wants to get his mower fixed. But don’t you think he’d appreciate your offer to cut his grass just this once while he figures out what he wants to do with his mower?
There’s always someone who needs help with something. They’re just working by themselves because they know everyone else is too busy to help them.
It’s true we’re all busy. But we’re compassionate, caring people too. Being a caring person involves more than just showing respect, lending an ear, or offering to help, but I’ll start with those three things.
We often show respect to policemen, firemen, doctors, and nurses. What would happen to our world if we regularly showed respect to everyone? If we showed respect for the person inside the skin, it would become contagious.
If the old man won’t let you mow his grass, but invites you to stay for a lemonade, maybe his greatest need is a caring person to talk to. Let him know that you have a spare twenty minutes to visit and watch that refreshing smile come over his face.
Being caring means not turning away from an opportunity to help someone who needs it.
Today’s goal is: show your caring heart to someone who needs to see it. Walk down your street and offer your hand to a neighbor who needs help planting flowers or pulling weeds or mowing the lawn.
Always approach with gentleness and ask first. People need caring neighbors, but be careful that you don’t run too fast to an opportunity that you smash up against it like it was a brick wall. Go slow. Have a plan. Be prepared.
There was a little girl wanted a pet so bad she couldn’t wait for her parents to find her one, so she went into the back yard and found a bug. She ran to her mommy and said she found a pet. She lifted her hand to show the bug she held between her thumb and finger.
“Can I hold it?” The mom smiled, determined to allow the girl a moment of joy before the truth was revealed.
The girl pulled back her hands. “No. I don’t want it to fly away.”
“It won’t fly away.”
The girl opened her grip and the bug fell into the mom’s hand, but one of the wings was still stuck to the girl’s thumb and finger. When the girl realized she’d squeezed the bug to death in her excitement, she angrily slapped the bug out of her mommy’s hand, dusted the bug parts off her own hand and wailed through the pain of loss.
We can love our opportunities so much that we smother them or squeeze them to death. We should approach an opportunity as we would a butterfly that’s about to land on our finger. And when we’re through showing respect, lending an ear, or helping out, then let the butterfly fly free. There will be another one later.
Be Friendly
Life is more fun when you have good relationships. One of the most important relationships you can have is a friendship. The most important person to begin a friendship with is God.
Befriending God is easy. He’s very receptive.
Ask God to help you accomplish your goal of becoming more friendly. You may find opportunities will present themselves – seemingly from out of the blue.
Today’s goal is: Have a small party in your front yard or in a restaurant. Invite others to join the fun. Be inclusive. Be God’s friend and invite Him. Ask God to show you someone new that needs a friend.
While you maintain new friendships, don’t forget your old ones.
How do you find new friends? They’re everywhere. If you keep a smile at the ready, a friend is not far away.
Befriending God is easy. He’s very receptive.
Ask God to help you accomplish your goal of becoming more friendly. You may find opportunities will present themselves – seemingly from out of the blue.
Today’s goal is: Have a small party in your front yard or in a restaurant. Invite others to join the fun. Be inclusive. Be God’s friend and invite Him. Ask God to show you someone new that needs a friend.
While you maintain new friendships, don’t forget your old ones.
How do you find new friends? They’re everywhere. If you keep a smile at the ready, a friend is not far away.
What is the Domino Club?
The Domino Club offers encouragement to those who want to be challenged to reach out to others. It’s about showing other people your human side. It’s about showing up when someone needs your help. It’s about showing God you heard Him tell you to love your neighbor.
I created this club to unite those of us who want to be more than we are. Life is growth. We can push ourselves beyond our current boundaries. We can enlarge the tent of our experience and let others into our lives.
A house is made of many bricks. But without mortar, it isn’t strong. A community is like that house. Just because many are living in the same place, doesn’t mean that community is a great place to be. Every community needs love. It is the mortar that bonds people together and makes the community strong.
Generosity is one of the facets of love. I’m interested in growing in generosity. If you are too, then join with me in taking small steps to make big changes.
Generosity is more than giving money to a charity. You can give money, but you can also give something you made. You can give your time or possessions.
Think of how many people you know who are already spending their days giving to others. Many people already sacrifice their plans for the benefit of those that need them.
Some people can’t see their own needs. If you see their need and give to help them, you could turn their day around. Do you know people who seem self-centered, alone, maybe even a little crabby? It is possible that with the gift of your attention, affection, or innocent surprises, their whole life could change for the better.
Today’s goal is: Find someone who needs a little attention and let them experience unsolicited unconditional love by giving them a simple card.
Choose someone of any age. Make or buy a card and put your own encouraging message in it. Hand delivered cards are always appreciated. If there’s someone in your life that could really use a note of encouragement, but they live too far away for a personal delivery, then send them a card in the mail.
I created this club to unite those of us who want to be more than we are. Life is growth. We can push ourselves beyond our current boundaries. We can enlarge the tent of our experience and let others into our lives.
A house is made of many bricks. But without mortar, it isn’t strong. A community is like that house. Just because many are living in the same place, doesn’t mean that community is a great place to be. Every community needs love. It is the mortar that bonds people together and makes the community strong.
Generosity is one of the facets of love. I’m interested in growing in generosity. If you are too, then join with me in taking small steps to make big changes.
Generosity is more than giving money to a charity. You can give money, but you can also give something you made. You can give your time or possessions.
Think of how many people you know who are already spending their days giving to others. Many people already sacrifice their plans for the benefit of those that need them.
Some people can’t see their own needs. If you see their need and give to help them, you could turn their day around. Do you know people who seem self-centered, alone, maybe even a little crabby? It is possible that with the gift of your attention, affection, or innocent surprises, their whole life could change for the better.
Today’s goal is: Find someone who needs a little attention and let them experience unsolicited unconditional love by giving them a simple card.
Choose someone of any age. Make or buy a card and put your own encouraging message in it. Hand delivered cards are always appreciated. If there’s someone in your life that could really use a note of encouragement, but they live too far away for a personal delivery, then send them a card in the mail.
Do Big Things
Being determined means doing something because it’s right – even when it’s hard. Our inclination is to stay comfortable and carefree. Our challenge is to do something worthwhile and make sure we follow through to completion.
The story of David and Goliath is well-known. David killed a giant while he was still a boy, long before he grew up to be a king. However, David was more of a giant than Goliath, not because of stature, but because of attitude.
It’s not how big you are; it’s what you do that matters. Giants do big things.
Sure, David made mistakes. Nevertheless, history calls David one of the greatest kings. He was a man after God’s own heart. No one would’ve blamed David if he’d killed King Saul when he had his chance, but he refused to do it. He did big things.
The Bible records the story of a woman who gave two copper coins in church. Jesus told someone that the woman gave more than the wealthiest of the crowd. Those small coins were all she had. She was the giant in church that day.
Who are today’s giants? Are they wealthy businessmen? Are they professional sports figures? How many of today’s lower income families give to those who are even more poor than they are? I’d say probably more than we realize. There are single moms, barely making ends meet, who take in neighborhood children and give them attention while the children’s parents are at home, fighting. Those single moms are doing a big thing for those kids.
There is determination in a school crossing guard who shows up every day to face an intersection loaded with pedestrian children and impatient drivers of powerful machines. Being a school crossing guard may not seem like such a big thing to the guard, but to the parents of the children who cross that street, it is a very big thing.
Forgiveness is a big thing. It can bring enemies together and make them friends. It can be a first step to healing.
For some, forgiving someone is a great idea, but following through to completion takes a lot of determination.
Is it in you?
Today’s goal is to: Forgive someone who has hurt you.
You may already be thinking of someone. Or you may be able to be a mediator between two people who need help forgiving each other. Who is the person on your heart?
If forgiving someone seems too hard and you want to give up, just remember that if it were easy, it wouldn’t be such a big thing.
So do it. It’s worth it.
The story of David and Goliath is well-known. David killed a giant while he was still a boy, long before he grew up to be a king. However, David was more of a giant than Goliath, not because of stature, but because of attitude.
It’s not how big you are; it’s what you do that matters. Giants do big things.
Sure, David made mistakes. Nevertheless, history calls David one of the greatest kings. He was a man after God’s own heart. No one would’ve blamed David if he’d killed King Saul when he had his chance, but he refused to do it. He did big things.
The Bible records the story of a woman who gave two copper coins in church. Jesus told someone that the woman gave more than the wealthiest of the crowd. Those small coins were all she had. She was the giant in church that day.
Who are today’s giants? Are they wealthy businessmen? Are they professional sports figures? How many of today’s lower income families give to those who are even more poor than they are? I’d say probably more than we realize. There are single moms, barely making ends meet, who take in neighborhood children and give them attention while the children’s parents are at home, fighting. Those single moms are doing a big thing for those kids.
There is determination in a school crossing guard who shows up every day to face an intersection loaded with pedestrian children and impatient drivers of powerful machines. Being a school crossing guard may not seem like such a big thing to the guard, but to the parents of the children who cross that street, it is a very big thing.
Forgiveness is a big thing. It can bring enemies together and make them friends. It can be a first step to healing.
For some, forgiving someone is a great idea, but following through to completion takes a lot of determination.
Is it in you?
Today’s goal is to: Forgive someone who has hurt you.
You may already be thinking of someone. Or you may be able to be a mediator between two people who need help forgiving each other. Who is the person on your heart?
If forgiving someone seems too hard and you want to give up, just remember that if it were easy, it wouldn’t be such a big thing.
So do it. It’s worth it.
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