Undeserved Kindness - Actually Deserved

sabastious

My younger brother recently moved in with me. For the past 5 years he has done really nothing but abuse substance. Cocaine, alcohol cigarettes etc. He used them to escape reality.

He stopped the hard stuff about 3 years ago but remained a very devoted alcoholic. About 2 months ago he was hanging out with his friends at a bar (for the trillionth time) and had an epiphany. He litterally picked up his stuff and walked to my house (miles away) early morning at 2:00 AM.

I heard the knock at the door and opened it to see my little brother. He told me that he was done with this lifestyle and wanted to move in and clean up. He said he wanted to use my house as a rehabilitation off the substances. I know my brother well and I could really tell he was serious and sincere.

So I welcomed him into my home and helped him get out of a crappy sporadic job as well as get on unemployment. He is now enrolling in a local communtiy college and is learning to become a chef.

The reason I am telling this story is that I think it mimics what Jehovah's Witnesses refer to as God's underserved kindess.

You could argue that I gave my little brother underserved kindness. By his actions the past few years I had little evidence that he was telling the truth. He had used many people in the past and he very well could have been planning on using me and my wife as well. But I was convinced that this was not the case, and it wasn't.

He DID deserve my kindness because I knew my brother. I knew his story and his background, I could just tell he was being genuine so I offered help that put me out some by allowing him to live with us while he got on his feet. I wasn't making a blind judgement call, I believed in him.

Is that not what Jehovah's Witnesses teach of God and us humans? Why did God offer his son in ransom sacrifice for all humans? Because he believes in us in the same way I believed in my brother. And in that same way we deserve what God has provided for us (according to the Bible) because we will make good our end of the arrangement (because it is prophecized in the Bible that we will, it's a sure thing).

One other thing. After this is all said and done I will not be reminding my brother of this event. I will not take credit for all the good things he will accomplish because I did this for him. The same cannot be said about God or Jesus according to the Watchtower.

We are supposed to thank him for offering his services to help us out of a rut every day.

What if I always brought up the fact that I helped my brother throughout the decades to come? How would my brother feel? Would that not be a dysfunctional relationship? Him constantly refering to the past "undeserved kindess" I gave him and how it enabled him to do all that he is doing now? That's what the Jehoavh's Witnesses do in their prayers and actions.

Because they believe it's "undeserved."

The reason I don't feel the need to remind my brother that I helped him is because I felt he DESERVED the help.

End of story. Be free little bird.

Food for thought :)

-Sab

Hadit

Good for you Sab! You are a wonderful brother - loving and kind. You make very good points. I agree. It is also a sign of an insecure person to keep bringing up what you did for someone else. You do something because you care and because it's loving. The immense joy and satisfaction that you get out of helping your brother is far superior to pats on the back. It's also a good way for him to learn how to treat others in the future! What goes around comes around.

I wish you both all the best!

Hadit

AGuest

Because he believes in us in the same way I believed in my brother.

Yes, dear Sab... and peace to you!

And in that same way we deserve what God has provided for us (according to the Bible) because we will make good our end of the arrangement (because it is prophecized in the Bible that we will, it's a sure thing).

We, meaning those who do make good. Unfortunately, this is not everyone...

One other thing. After this is all said and done I will not be reminding my brother of this event. I will not take credit for all the good things he will accomplish because I did this for him. The same cannot be said about God or Jesus according to the Watchtower.

I am glad that you added "according to the Watchtower." That is a powerful caveat.

By your actions toward and accommodation of your brother, dear Sab, you showed that you... and Most Holy One of Israel... had at least three things in common: hope... faith... and love. The only difference between you and me... is that I would have given the credit to Him. I understand why you do/can not - I don't judge you. I am just pointing out a difference, is all, so that perhaps you and others might understand that difference.

What you did was wonderful and you won't have to remind your brother - he will remind you.

Again, peace to you...

Another "brother's keeper" and slave of Christ,

SA

sabastious

I am glad that you added "according to the Watchtower." That is a powerful caveat.

I don't want to blanket all Christians with the Witnesses fear tactics, although a lot of denominations seem to to the same thing.

-Sab

sabastious

The only difference between you and me... is that I would have given the credit to Him.

I do give the credit to God through implication.

Let me explain my beliefs.

I believe that God gave me the tools to make virtuous decisions and of course I have free will to chose to use them or not. Without those intrinsic tools I could not perform such feats. So everything good I do I feel was ultimately God's doing as well as my own.

God made the "racecar", I try to win the "races". Even though I won the race, credit goes equally to me and the creator of the racecar.

I think it's 50/50.

-Sab

Curtains

Sabastious

I agree with your 50/50 reasoning and conclusions

sabastious

I agree with your 50/50 reasoning and conclusions

I don't think God created us to be subjects but rather partners.

If I were God, I would want to create equals not slaves.

I think he tells us this by our young.

Our young start out as subjects and we teach them. But they are not young forever and eventually become our equal. I think God made it that way to tell us our ultimate role.

-Sab

AGuest

I understand... and thank you... for the clarification, dear Sab!

Peace to you!

A slave of Christ,

SA

Markfromcali

"Undeserved" is obviously a psychologically loaded word, and as with most language that are it obscures what's really going on because your attention is going to be focused on that. Since it references your self worth and therefore a sense of self, your attention is focused more narrowly as opposed to the broader context of the overall situation and where you fit in - it's rather a kind of tunnel vision. In this case perhaps the classic Wayne's World scene may be a good antidote.

As far as what's going on, it might be viewed in terms of reciprocity. In this case it's not a matter of what someone has done or even so much what you'd like them to do in the Golden Rule sense, but rather a reciprocity of intent. Of course this requires some recognition and awareness of where someone is at, which is very different from a perspective based on a kind of strict accounting even if you say "but I'm giving it anyway even though you don't deserve it."

To play with the word a little, if we change it to "undeRserved" it references an entirely different attitude. Service by its very nature is not focused on which self is deserving or an attitude of judgment, but it's just about helping. And the under part does invoke a certain sense of justice, implying that we would like all to have a chance.

sabastious

No problem Guesty. I sometimes get the feeling that people think I am an atheist or agnostic (which I did consider myself agnostic for a short time after leaving the WT).

But I am a deist.

-San

Undeserved Kindness - Actually Deserved

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