Devotion: What Are You Scattering? 

The Glorious Table is delighted to welcome New York Times bestselling author Karen Ehman to the table today. This devotion is taken in part from Karen’s newest book Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World (Zondervan, 2016), which releases on Tuesday, November 15.

 “It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter, that tells you what kind of life you have lived.” ~Helen Walton

 I have become friends with a woman who is an atheist. Yep. You read that right. I am a Bible teacher, but one of my friends denies that God even exists and thinks the Bible is a frivolous work of fiction. We became friends a few years ago when our kids participated in the same extracurricular activity.

Over these last few years, I have sat beside her at school events. When we held a potluck for the students and their families, she made a delicious dish to pass and I asked her for the recipe. Sometimes we go out for lunch or shopping, hunting for bargains. When one of her relatives passed away, my husband and I sent flowers to her house along with a handwritten card telling her how sorry we were for her loss.

In my friendship with this woman, I try to reflect Christ with my actions. At first she was a bit combative and wanted to engage in debate. When I never argued back, but instead loved her and showed interest in her life, I saw her soften.

It began when one day she liked a quote by a Christian author on my Facebook page. She made sure to inform me in the comment section that, even though the person who said the phrase believed in God, what they had to say still was inspiring to her. Pretty soon she was not only “liking” inspiring quotes and thoughtful phrases; she actually clicked the “like” button on a few Bible verses! I had to chuckle to myself each time I saw this happen.

Then one day we went out for lunch. I always tried to be respectful of her beliefs when we ate together, so I would bow my head quietly to say grace without speaking out loud so as not to offend her. But this time was different. When I bowed my head to say a silent prayer, she interrupted me and said it would be fine with her if I prayed aloud. And so I did. I not only thanked God for the delicious grilled chicken salads we were about to enjoy, I also thanked him for our friendship and for allowing our paths to cross. I mentioned her fun personality and fierce love of her kids and husband. I told God I was grateful for her encouraging personality, which is such a blessing in my life. I meant every single word.

When I looked up after uttering “Amen,” I could see she was visibly moved. Although she jokes about prayer, calling it “talking to the ceiling,” I knew her heart was touched. And I continue to see her become more and more open to the gospel as our friendship grows.

What kindness looks like in life is this: I can spend time with others who are not Christians. I can be a friend to someone who is not following God. While I should be careful to evaluate the influence she might have on me and act accordingly, I should not shy away from the influence my kindness might have on her developing a walk with Jesus. And I should be on the lookout for ways to reach out to her, reflecting God’s unconditional love.

Focus on scattering kindness. Let God handle the heart change.

Remember that your job is to display kindness and be ready and willing to share the gospel with others. Whatever heart change happens as a result of your words and actions is up to God.

Kindness rather than judgment.

Choose it every time.

Dear heavenly Father, allow us to love others. Allow us to scatter kindness instead of judgment. Allow us to see that simple gestures can be used to bring about profound change. We love you. We want to be used by you. Help us to never be too busy to stop and notice. To listen. To love. And then, to repeat. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scriptures for Reflection

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV)

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:1-4 NIV)

Reach for More

This week’s challenge is to scatter kindness where you might first be tempted to pass judgment. What happened as a result of your kindness? Did anything happen in your heart? Was the situation positively changed because of your choice?

Please come back and leave a comment telling us about your new insights on scattering kindness! Or share your progress on social media using the hashtag #tgtreachformore. We would love to hear from you.

Karen Ehman is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and New York Times best-selling author. Described as profoundly practical, engagingly funny and downright real, her passion is to help women to live their priorities and love their lives as they serve God and others. Karen writes for Encouragement for Today, is the Speaker Track Director of Proverbs 31’s She Speaks Conference and a teaching staff member of their writers’ training site COMPEL, and has authored eight books including Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World. Her favorite ways to spend her time, though, are to chat with her grown daughter, watch her oldest son pop wheelies on his dirt bike, and cheer for her youngest son in the football stands or baseball bleachers. She also is content to just hang out with her man doing absolutely nothing at all. You can find her at karenehman.com.

Photograph © Zondervan/HarperCollins Publishing and Emalco Enamelware, used with permission