Growing Together By Ewald & Beatrix van RensburgSample

Kindness, the antidote to greed

Best and worst

Give everyone a chance to talk about the best and worst moments of their day.

Where did you encounter Jesus today?

Talk to each other about how each family member encountered Jesus, and about something or someone that reminded them of Him.

• What window opens these passages for you about God?

• What door opens these passages for you and what does the Lord want you to do?

Thought for the day

Kindness doesn’t just mean giving what you have; it also means giving what you are. Those of us from the older generation are all mad about Dennis the Menace comics. There is a story about kindness in one of those comics. As you know, Dennis is regarded as a threat to his neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. Mr. Wilson is badly frustrated by Dennis, but Mrs. Wilson is friendliness and kindness itself.

This particular comic strip shows Dennis and his friend Joey leaving Mrs. Wilson’s house with their hands full of cookies! Joey says to Dennis: “I wonder what we did to deserve this.” Dennis answers: “Look, Joey, Mrs. Wilson gives us cookies not because we’re nice, but because she’s nice!”

That’s what the Bible teaches us—God is good; that’s why He smothers us in kindness and that’s precisely what Titus 3:4–5 explains. That’s why we Christians can be as good as Mrs. Wilson to the “Dennis the Menaces” of the world!

Activity

As a family, decide who in your street, complex, neighborhood or church doesn’t yet know you well. Make an effort to make contact with them. Take along something nice for them as a token of kindness, or even bake biscuits or rusks together.

Prayer

Almighty God, overflowing fountain of all that is good, forgive me. I am embarrassed that there are seeds of greed, malice, hate and prejudice inside me. Free me and let me discover Your fruit in myself through Your Spirit, so that I will faithfully strive to express Your kindness. I ask this in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.

Random act of kindness

The next time you go shopping for groceries as a family, buy some extra goodies to give to the homeless person on the corner or someone else who is struggling financially.

For parents only

Surprise your child by doing something special with them, just the two of you, such as going out for a milkshake. If you have more than one child, do this with each child individually.