A greedy kindness

I recently read an article about a college softball game betweem Western Oregon University and Central Washington. Sarah, a senior for Western Oregon, had hit her first career homerun, the ball soared over the center field fence. This was a huge moment in her life and as she was proudly heading to first base the dream quickly shattered. She collapsed with a knee injury. Not being able to get up and move she looks at her team who is counting on her to round the rest of the bases for a score. The umpire says if her teammates help her the run doesn't count and if they put in a pinch runner it would only be counted as a single. And that's when the unthinkable happened. Mallory, the firstbaseman for the opposing team (who also leads the conference for career homeruns) and her teammate shortstop Liz, go to Sara and place her arms around their shoulders. They ran with her in their arms, allowing Sarah to lower her left leg and touch each base. While being carried over the final base Sarah thanked the two girls to which Mallory responded "You deserve it, you hit it over the fence."

Have you been on the right track only to come to a complete stop? The pressure in your life just gets too much for you to handle, you've ruined your reputation or your heart has just been taken over by some deep seeded sin? How many times have you wished someone would come and sweep you up and carry you to the finish line? But somehow you persevere, you get through it and you wonder how you got there? While the umpires in your life are telling you that you can never make it to the finish line somewhere along the way someone got out of their comfort zone and came along side you and helped you. Whether they were friend or foe they saw a need and met it. It could have been through prayer, an email letting you know they were thinking about you, a hug or just the age-old act of being kind. What ever it may be it was the simple gesture that carried you to a homerun ending.

Why is it that we sometimes act like the umpire and only focus on the things that can't be done? Why not be like Mallory and Liz and go running out to minister and help carry the load of those around us in need? Sometimes we can be so greedy with our kindness even though God clearly states to us that the greatest commandmnet is to love one another.

Think how differently your life would be if God withheld His kindness from you?