A Crazy Idea - The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional

A Crazy Idea

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2, NIV

I had no idea my New Year’s Day would end with a stranger and her son living in my basement.

My husband, Tim, and I had awakened with a rare sense of freedom. Our two- and four-year-old daughters were, surprisingly, still asleep. With no work commitments to fulfill, we were looking forward to a lazy holiday at home.

Within an hour of waking up, however, Tim’s expression clued me in to the fact that our plans had changed. Lips quirked, brow furrowed, thumbs clicking furiously on his phone, he paced the confines of our bedroom, stopping periodically to chew on his thumbnail while he waited for a response.

A mom and her young son needed a place to stay until a unit opened up in their new apartment building. They had been sleeping at our friend’s house, but that was no longer a feasible situation, and they were looking for an alternative.

Tim looked at me, an unspoken question in his eyes: Could we be that option?

It wasn’t a new situation for us; we had hosted a homeless mom and her two daughters for three months that previous summer. But since the request came on the heels of a whirlwind December, I hesitated. I’m used to girls, I thought. I don’t know if I can handle a little boy. What if we say yes and wish we hadn’t?

There was a very real chance I would live to regret my action. But sometimes it’s the crazy ideas, the ones that open us up to uncertainty, that end up teaching us the most. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV). Sometimes we’re led to take a step of faith that may look crazy to the world and trust that God will help us work our way through it.

—Kristin

Today’s Act of Kindness

Start the new year by resolving to look for opportunities to extend kindness to others, even in small ways.

From the Book:

The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional cover image


The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional
By Julie Fisk & Kendra Roehl & Kristin Demery
Tyndale
$7.99

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