When we first moved to Tennessee years ago, my husband got a job at a local plant. One day he came home telling me about a young mom at work who was struggling. Somewhere in conversation she had mentioned wishing she could get a Barbie house for her little girl.
If you know my husband, you know he has a huge heart. He's always looking for ways to help people. So when he came home on a mission to find a Barbie house, I wasn't surprised.
We didn't have a lot of extra money ourselves, but we had enough. So I started looking for used Barbie houses first. When I couldn't find one, I eventually found a cute set on sale and we bought it.
To us, it wasn't a big deal.
We weren't trying to make a statement.
We weren't looking for recognition.
We weren't expecting anything in return.
We simply saw a need and wanted to help.
But then word got around at work.
People started talking.And not in a good way.
Suddenly people were questioning his motives. Saying it wasn't his place. Saying he shouldn't have done that. Some acted as if there had to be some hidden agenda behind a simple act of kindness.
I remember being shocked by it.
Why is it so hard for people to believe that sometimes people are just trying to be kind?
The longer I've lived, the more I've realized that hurt people often struggle to trust kindness.
They're waiting for the catch.
Waiting for the manipulation.
Waiting for the hidden motive.
Waiting for the moment the other shoe drops.
And that's exactly what happens in 2 Samuel 10.
David wasn't trying to start a war. He was trying to show kindness. When the king of Ammon died, David sent messengers to comfort his son. But instead of receiving the kind gesture, the king's advisors immediately became suspicious.
"He's spying on us."
"He has another motive."
"You can't trust him."
So they rejected David's kindness and humiliated his servants.
What i realized this morning is that David wasn't responsible for their assumptions. He was responsible for his obedience. Their suspicion didn't change his heart. Their misunderstanding didn't make his kindness wrong. And that's something we all need to remember.
Not everyone will understand your motives.
Not everyone will receive your kindness.
Not everyone will believe the best about you.
But that doesn't mean you stop being who God called you to be.
Don't let suspicious people make you suspicious. Don't let cynical people make you cynical. Don't let misunderstood kindness harden your heart.
Keep loving.
Keep giving.
Keep encouraging.
Keep blessing people.
I still believe if someone needs a Barbie house and God puts it on your heart, buy the Barbie house.
If someone needs encouragement, encourage them. If someone needs prayer, pray for them. If someone needs kindness, show it. Don't spend your life worrying about how everyone will interpret your motives. Just make sure your heart is right before God. Let Him handle the rest.
I'd rather stand before Jesus one day and hear that I loved people too much than hear that I loved them too little because I was afraid of what people might say.
Love Pastor Mandy
Ark of Hope Ministry
Daily reading 2 Samuel 10
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