The Kindness Finger - Martin Wiles

The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. Acts 28:2 NLT

While driving down the road, my granddaddy gave the kindness finger to every driver he met.

Down South, we pride ourselves on friendliness. Some parts appear friendlier than others. During a particular time of the year, everyone I pass in their yard will probably be waving frantically. (In reality, they probably aren’t any friendlier. They’re just shooing away gnats.) I’ve had the privilege of talking with many people who have moved from other regions of the United States and had them tell me how friendly we are—a welcome relief.

My granddaddy fell under the category of friendly. He drove first an ice truck, second a milk truck, and finally an ice cream truck for more than forty years. When I was old enough, I spent the entire summer helping him deliver ice cream. Every vehicle he met coming down the road, he gave a kindness finger to—the index finger. In the South, that’s the finger we give. Rarely do we throw up a hand; we merely lift one finger.

Before I knew any better, I often wondered how my granddaddy knew so many people. Then I discovered he hardly knew any of the people he offered a finger to. He was simply being friendly and living out what he had learned from residing in the South.

Paul and those with him on the ship encountered friendliness after their ship ran aground. He was on his way to Rome to stand trial for his faith in Christ. While on this unexpected stopover, he and the crew encountered friendly islanders who gave them a kindness finger. In return, Paul showed them a kindness finger by healing the chief official’s father.

So how do we give kindness? Kindness is not genetic, but it is learned and free. If we want friends, we must be one. Coming from an environment where anger and rudeness were shown is no excuse to act the same way. God considers us his friends when we accept his Son as our Savior. Since he accepts us as friends, he expects us to return the favor. While having more than a few good friends in a lifetime is rare, we can show a finger of kindness to everyone we meet—even our enemies.

Ask God to help you give a finger of kindness to the people in your path.

Father, I accept your friendship through my relationship with Christ and ask you to help me to be friendly to others as well. 

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Stubborn Is as Stubborn Does - Martin Wiles

Then they will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. Psalm 78:8 NLT

Something magical happened when my grandfather whispered the words, “Giddy up.”

I’ve seen only a few mules in my lifetime. Yet being familiar with the saying, “stubborn as a mule,” gives me a clue about their personality. My grandfather was familiar with mules and their nature. His father died when he was 12, leaving him to run the family farm. 

An uncle helped him, but for some reason, mules didn’t appreciate Uncle Ransom. When he gave the command to “giddy up,” they didn’t most of the time. Or if they did, they stubbornly plowed a crooked row. When my grandfather asked, however, they plowed in straight rows. Something in the nature of Uncle Ransom brought out the stubbornness of the mule’s nature.

Later, after my grandfather gave up farming and began working for an ice and later an ice cream company, he encountered stubbornness once again—and benefited from it. Some business owners were quite challenging to work with because of their stubborn nature. What other salesmen couldn’t deal with, my grandfather confronted with his patient nature and won them over as customers.

God also encountered stubbornness—but not so much in pagans. He discovered it in His chosen people. The people He called out from among all people groups of the world. The people He gave a Promised Land. The people He delivered from 400 years of slavery. Instead of worshipping Him, they often stubbornly followed the wicked ways of their unbelieving neighbors.

I can name a few times when I’ve been stubborn as well. Wanted to do things my way instead of God’s way. Thought I knew best. God gave me good examples to follow, and I stubbornly chose the bad instead. 

Stubbornness keeps me out of God’s will. Like a mule, I’ll refuse to budge toward God’s revealed will, or I’ll plow a crooked row of inconsistency in my obedience. When I’m out of God’s will, paucity follows. God’s blessings can’t or won’t flow when I’m living in stubborn disobedience.

God suggests a cure for stubbornness: remember His blessings of the past and obey His commands. When I do this, I’ll “giddy up”—and gladly, when God whispers the command. 

Don’t let stubbornness cause you to miss out on God’s best. 

Prayer: Father, deal with our stubborn natures, making them pliable, so we’ll willingly obey what You tell us. 

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