Random Acts

When I was in college, I was in a sorority. I remember a fraternity chapter advisor saying that he didn't like posters or sign boards advertising for his Fraternity. His reasoning was that members would spend time working on these painted signs -- working hard and spending a whole lot of time -- to have a painted sign when they were done. They would have this self-satisfied attitude -- "I've done lots of work" -- and would then do nothing else in the "rush" (membership drive) effort. This advisor believed (probably correctly) that members were recruited most effectively through one on one contact with fraternity members. The "poster painters" would not put the effort into one on one contact with rushees, because they had worked so hard on the signs.

We had a Sunday school lesson today about Random Acts of Kindness. Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for random acts of kindness. In fact, I love to do them or to be the recipient of them. They're great.

Do we, however, get a self-satisfied attitude once we do these small things -- like raking leaves, vacuuming the sanctuary, sending someone a card -- that prevents us from doing larger, more involved tasks. Please don't get me wrong -- all of these random acts of kindness are great. They can show God to someone in a way that nothing else can.

But, if we are called by God to do something long-term, something which requires a bigger commitment, do we turn down the opportunity because we feel that we've already done our share?