WHAT IF THEY DON'T DESERVE IT?

Hello!

How do you do this fine day?

Welcome to today's gist. 

I was reading a book recently and I saw Proverbs 3:27 highlighted. As the NLT puts it, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them." What this means is that we are expected to help people, to do good to, show concern for and be kind to, them when they deserve it especially when it is our power to help them. Now that's fine and well except if you're like me and likes to test the rules, you'd ask "what if they don't deserve it? Is it then alright to decide to withhold good from them?" 

The answer to my question then becomes the question "how do you determine who is deserving of good and who isn't?" In fact, you sef who told you you are deserving of receiving good from people? The truth of the matter is that the only person qualified to determine who is deserving or undeserving of good is God because He is perfect. You and me, we're a bunch of imperfect people who cannot, on our own, attain the status of being deserving. 

I've found that it is best to err on the side of according everyone the status of "deserving". It doesn't matter that you think the person may not be deserving, it will be better to treat them as deserving than to find out later that your criteria for judging was skewed and a person you thought was not deserving of your kindness actually was deserving. 

I had been thinking about this for days and I decided I was going to gist about this today, then something happened yesterday. There's this man in my class who has been getting on every single nerve I have since 200 level. I know for a fact that I'm not the only person he has been annoying. He's one of those people who make you thankful for breaks and holidays when you rest from having to deal with them. We've even had altercations in the past because honestly, me sef my head no dey too too correct every time. I walked by him yesterday and greeted him. Immediately he answered me, I felt a rebuke in my spirit. God was asking me how many times I had shown kindness to him. Truth is those times are very few and far in between. Now I've always suspected what the underlying problem was with this man, it is loneliness. And when I saw him yesterday, sitting alone by the car park, listening to the radio, I understood that in my various altercations with him and the many times I've withheld kindness from him because I subconsciously deemed him undeserving, I was fueling the loneliness and angst he felt; and I didn't even have the right in the first place to withhold good from him!

So for 5 years, I have been withholding kindness from someone who probably is one of the most deserving! It was a wake up call I needed and I determined in my heart that for the remaining months I have in school, I will not withhold good from him when I have the ability to do it. 

I'm not saying everyone will appreciate your efforts at being kind, some may even take offense at the kindness you show to them but that shouldn't deter you; when you have the opportunity to do good to others, do it. The blessing isn't in their reception of your kindness, it is in your own act of kindness.

I hope you are encouraged to go out and do good to people because everyone you meet is deserving of your kindness and when it is in your power to do it, please do it. It doesn't have to be with grand gestures, even with the littlest of things, something as basic as greeting or a smile, do good. 

See you next week!

Love,

Achenyo.