Good Deeds

James traveling through NM on the way to CA

Are we rewarded for good deeds? James has had several people provide him a place to live in Los Angeles while in transition. He has been amazed people have been willing to help him in so many ways.  Are any of us enthusiastic to let someone stay in our house for weeks?  What about people who  risk their lives to help someone in need ?  Does the good Samaritan get something back in return?

The Bible discusses good deeds and how it is better to help others without receiving recognition. If you discuss the sacrifice does it nullify the deed?  I thought about all the times my parents had shown  kindness to others.  They kept a garden with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, greens, peppers and had an enormous fig tree.  They loved to give their vegetables to neighbors and friends.  They visited people that were ill in the hospital and took them cards, flowers, and sometimes gifts.  They were givers and full of joy when they gave.  There was no price tag on their deeds but just the simple act of kindness.

My oldest son John learned the concept of helping others while witnessing the lifestyle of my parents.   They also instilled in him the importance of going to church as they did me.  Sometimes when I hesitate to go on a chilly Sunday morning I convince myself that it is permissible to skip because I have many credits from faithful attendance.  I jokingly compare it to frequent flyer miles or rollover minutes.

John now practices what he learned from his grandparents.   He has maintained faithful church  attendance and is the first to volunteer his services to the community.  He is a handyman and can repair  just about anything. His gift of repair was apparent at a very early age.  He began collecting his own tools and working on projects around the time we received a decorative wooden horse that was given as a Christmas gift and he tried to duplicate.    Recently he went to Alabama on several trips to help families affected by flooding.  He gives his services freely through projects at church and work.

My doctor always asks about my mom and I told him she was still driving.  He asked what city she lived in so he could avoid the area.  I  told my mom I didn't think she should keep driving much longer.  Her reply was "I passed my driving test" and "The Lord takes care of everything".  Now how does someone question that response? This is a woman that changes spark plugs on a lawnmower and mows her own yard.

On one occasion she was having a garage sale.  A suspicious man came riding in on a bike and acted as if he going to steal or harm us.  I felt the threat and was shaking but my mother looked him in the eye and told him to leave.  She never showed any fear.  I was truly amazed.  She is such a strong woman.

I don't know if my mother has been rewarded for teaching children at Sunday School for 50 years, faithfully attending church, or doing good deeds but she has had a very remarkable and prosperous life.  She maintains a positive attitude and always believes people will recover if suffering from an illness. Most important in her life is church, friends, and family. Not a day goes by that she doesn't inquire about the three boys who are now men.  She wants to know everything that they do.   She never complains and never takes any over the counter drugs.  Not sure if the good deeds have kept her healthy and happy but she definitely excels in the frequent flyer status of life.  She is a wonderful example of how to live life to the fullest, and I'm willing to bet she has had a lifetime of rewards.

World English Bible This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!

Yahweh by U2

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist no
Take this mouth
So quick to critisize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break