PARKING LOT ELEPHANT

What is desirable in a man is his kindness, Proverbs 19:22a (NASB)

      It was Thursday afternoon as Randy sat in his office working on his sermon for the coming Sunday. The topic of his message was love and this time it was suppose to focus on kindness, the second part of Paul's description of love form 1 Corinthians 13. As he poured over illustrations on kindness he started to dose off only to be scared half to death by a loud blast from an elephant.

      When he jumped form hearing the blast, he tipped over his desk sending papers everywhere. “that sounded like an elephant.” Randy said out loud, “I must have been dreaming. There isn't an elephant within in a hundred miles of here.” After picking up his desk, Randy got on the floor to pick up a mess of papers and as he crawled under his desk, he heard another loud blast from an elephant, jumped up and banged his head on his desk tipping it over again.

     “I couldn't have been dreaming that time.” Randy said out loud and ten he heard someone outside his office window saying “Sit George! Sit!.....That a boy George, Nice elephant.” Going over to the window, Randy opened it all the way and stuck his head out and there in the middle of the parking lot was Louie sitting on top of an elephant.

     “Louie!” Randy shouted out the window, “Can't you keep that thing quiet? I'm trying to nap, I mean work on my sermon.” Pulling his head back in the window, Randy started to head back to his desk when he suddenly realized that there really wan an elephant in the parking lot. Turning back to the parking lot, he hollered to Louie to come to the window.

     “What are you doing with an elephant?” Randy blurted out as soon as Louie made it to the window. “Just taking him home for the weekend.” Louie replied rather nonchalant and the elephant let out another blast causing Randy to jump again and this time he banged his head on the window. “I said I would take care of him over the weekend.” Louie explained, “He needs to be walked everyday.”

     “And just where did you find an elephant?” Randy asked as the elephant got down on one knee and looked him in the eye. “At the animal shelter.” Louie replied, “You should know by now that I always go down there on Thursdays to help take care of the animals.” “Yeah,” Randy nodded, “I should remember but I forget because I'm often here working.”

     “Do you remember when my parents were killed on the mission field?” Louie asked. “Yeah.” Randy nodded again, “That was a tough time for all of us.” It was my dog that helped me through that tough time.” Louie said, “Ever since then, I've tried to help animals whenever I can.” “You do love animals.” Randy said “But an elephant? Where are we going to keep him?”

     “I could keep him in my bedroom? But right now I need to give George some more exercise.”Louie said with a smile but Randy never heard him for he had just come up with a great illustration on kindness for his sermon – that is, if he could find it.

     Louie was kind to animals. We read in scripture that kindness is a desirable trait. We also read that it is part of the definition of Love. Kindness is what a young woman does in our story when her father was doing just the opposite.

     Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel .... Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live." Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children." Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."

Exodus 1:8-2:10 (ESV)

     Second in Paul's list of what love is is kindness for it says in 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, (NASB) Kindness is a part of love and the Bible reminds to be kind to others from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

• Zechariah 7:9 Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, (ESV)
• Galatians 6:10 Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters. (NLT)

     John tells us in his first epistle that when we love we are to show that love by our actions. 1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. (NLT) Being kind is a way of acting out our love. Here are some ideas on how we can show kindness.

• Matthew 5:42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. (NASB)
• Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. (NASB)
• Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (ESV)
• Galatians 6:2 Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (NLT)

     Here's Something To Ponder

• How are you showing your love through kindness?
• Are you showing kindness to EVERYONE?