Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
    and tell of his works with songs of joy.

• Psalm 107:21-22

The Boilerplate

My wife started to write her thoughts down at one point in her life.  Some hints point to 2018 and 2019, after she had her open-heart surgery.  In spite of her trials and the atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) that required her to take blood thinners, this was before her major health decline.

Sometimes, she wrote a thought.  Other times, she wrote a Bible verse, and maybe her idea on that day.  Other times, it is a prayer, but I am going to take one entry at a time and try to write about it

Her comment

“Give thanks to the Lord for His kindness… Prayer – Father we are here on earth to be your people.  We are here to show others that you came to be their friend.  Help us to make an eternal difference in someone’s life today.”

• My wife’s next comment in this notebook

The Discussion

If only looking at one trait, my wife was kind.

In her mind, she boiled down the two verses from Psalm 107 to God’s kindness.

And she always had a song in her heart.

Being kind seems an easy thing to do, but it takes special skills.

You have to love with the love of God.

You have to reach out, even when you are too tired.  You must not let your own feelings of inadequacy or exhaustion show.  The other person must only see your love for them.

I recently read a post from Kathy Boecher at atimetoshare.me.  She talks about asking someone if they want to be prayed for.  This simple request may open a floodgate of woes, but being the person they can talk to is important.  We must be patient while they get their burdens off their chest.  And we must pray as we said we would do.  Active listening to make sure we get to the root of their woes is important.

And having patience is important.  Once we show someone a bit of kindness, they may begin to cling.  You need to redirect their hope in God and not you, without giving them the idea that you do not have enough time to constantly be there for them.  But when my wife found such people, spent a lot of time with them and after she managed to get back home to deal with her own issues, she would call them to see if they were fully back on track.

And my wife did something that I never saw in my household growing up.  She smiled.

Sometimes other people who knew what physical struggles she was going through would be lifted up, just seeing my wife smile.

Kindness comes in many forms, but at the root is the love of God.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory