Offsets

Be the Light, Blessings, Boldness, Encouragement, Heaven, Humor, Jesus, Joy, Kindness, Witnessing 2 Minutes

Some days it is just plain painful to watch the news. So I don’t. I’m not sticking my head in the sand, I still keep current with world events, but my soul does not need to be fed evil.

Last week I replied to a fellow blogger that I have named my acts of kindness as “evil offsets.”

What is an offset? It is something that balances, counteracts, or compensates for something else. Like companies and people who want to cancel out the impact of their emissions on the climate so turn to something called carbon offsetting. For example, if you take a long haul flight, you can pay an organization to plant trees to offset your polluting. In principle, it’s a great idea, and one that helps people feel less guilty about their polluting activities. But to me, it still seems like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound.

I had an over two hour conversation with my sister who lives in Chicago about this very topic. I shared some of the things I recently posted about, and other things I do to offset evil. She in now going to join in where she is. This way, the two of us will be offsetting evil in our own sphere of influence.

We both believe that a ripple effect will occur. If I see someone in the store and they look a little down, I will pay them a complement. They always respond with excitement that someone “sees” them. They go about their day a little brighter. Then maybe if something negative occurs, they might just pause, and react differently, in a kinder way. And so on, and so on.

There was a lady yesterday, sitting outside in the sunshine at the motel where I deliver eggs every Friday. The way the sun struck her hair was glorious. She was chatting with someone on her phone, so I walked over, looked at her, she paused, and I told her about her hair. She busted out laughing, and said that it was perfect timing, because she was chatting with her hair stylist! As I walked away, I could hear them both exclaiming about my comment and laughing. Check off another box for evil offset.

There are enough people spewing nasty remarks to others on social media, who would probably never dream of saying those same things directly to someone’s face. So for everything we do to offset evil, we are showing the overpowering love of Jesus to the world, and literally bringing heaven to earth, one person at a time.

We are counteracting evil and balancing it with Light! Kindness is free. Sprinkle that stuff everywhere you go!

Let’s make an impact in our spheres of influence. Because there are plenty of people who need an evil offset right where you are. Trust me, you won’t have to look very far.

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Published by God Still Speaks

I am a follower of Jesus with an insatiable hunger for the Word of God! I am doing my best to be obedient in sharing what I learn with others, with my own unique spin, using the way God made me, linear with a twist!

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30 thoughts on “Offsets”

      2. God speaks about his Son having the nations as his inheritance. See Psalm 2. When you live in Jesus, God’s son, you laugh at evil!

        Psalm 2:4-6 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
        the Lord taunts them.
        Then He rebukes them in His anger,
        and terrifies them in His fury:
        “I have installed My King on Zion,
        upon My holy mountain.”

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  3. I love this, and I love that you made someone feel “seen.” How many of the world’s problems would be solved if everyone had someone telling them they are seen and heard?

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  4. Sign me up, sister! This is right up my alley. It’s hard to be treated disrespectfully and endure it kindly. But I’ve found reacting in the opposite way (kindness to crassness) often works. It’s an offset, just like you said. Plus, where I live it’s an open carry state. Just about anyone could be armed and potentially dangerous. Call me crazy, but put it on my tombstone: “He was kinder than necessary.”

    Great post, as always!

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  8. Love it! Roman’s 2:4 is my verse for this year and kindness is what God asked me to keep front of mind. I appreciate the way he calls his kids in, gives them the same “pep talk” and sends us out to do the same work in each of our respective places. I like the way you phrase it as an evil offset. I’d sure love to see the scales tip in favor of kindness so with the amount of evil in this world, we have a lot of work to do!

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  9. I was thinking of St. Peter as I read, “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” There is ONE reason for our hope, but by being a light in the darkness, we can testify to that Hope….

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