RACCK-os.

This past holiday season, my family re-discovered the fun of the game RACKO. Does anyone else remember it from their childhood? The game where you have a rack of cards that you basically have to reorder in numerical order and be the first to shout "RACKO!". Come on....remember those funny, retro-looking plastic red racks? Well, the game has been reintroduced with some fun twists, and we had a lot of late night fun with the game.

Anyway, enough with the plug for RACKO (though I do highly recommend it!). This post is not about RACKO, as in the game. Think about this question: Did you know that you can be part of a miracle with RACCKos? Did you know that you can change lives with RACCKos? OK, so now that you are completed and utterly confused by what I mean, here is my point: God has been tugging at my heart in relation to the topic of giving. Now, I am not just talking about the "throw the check in the collection plate" type of giving (though that type is important, too). But the "live out real life" type of giving. The "spontaneous and fun" type of giving. The "leave them with their mouths open wide" type of giving. The "God made me do it" type of giving. I made up this little acronym for a new part of my life that I have adopted as of December. The RANDOM ACTS OF CHRIST-CENTER KINDNESS type of giving. I'm sure you've all heard of random acts of kindness...finding little ways in everyday life to show love and kindness to others. But this is quite different because the MOTIVATION for the acts is all about Christ. I don't want to do random kind acts because it is nice or because it makes me feel all warm-and-fuzzy good, but because of what Christ has done for me. Because of the fact that Christ has sprinkled random acts of love and kindness and mercy and fun and compassion and grace and forgiveness through each and every moment of my existence. And I want to show others that they, too, can find full and eternal life through the God who made them fearfully and wonderfully and knows them intimately and by name.

So, in December, I committed to finding ways to intregrate RACCKos as a normal part of my life, at least once a month, but hopefully more. And so far, the journey has been awesome. To think that we can allow God to work through us to make a miracle happen in somebody else's life. That is amazing to me! And we never know how our actions impact people, who then go on to impact others......the ultimate pay-it-forward. And to do this all in the name of Christ.......can you imagine the potential impact if more people adopted RACCKos as a lifestyle?

So, you may be asking, what kinds of things have I done. In December, I anonymously sent a sweet angel tree ornament to a friend with whom I have recently had a pretty serious parting of ways. I knew that she liked the art work of a particular local artist, so I went to the studio and purchased the ornament. To provide some context, I had asked for this friend's forgiveness for an angry interchange that was had last summer, and she said that she forgave me, but her actions suggest otherwise. I do not think that this friend is a Christian, so I really wanted to impact her for Christ. So I sent her the angel ornament with a verse written on the back, with a note (camoflauged handwriting, of course) saying that this angel would hopefully remind her every year that Christ loves her, died for her, and cherishes her as His child). I don't know her reaction. I don't know how this will impact her and her family. But God nudged me to do it, and I wanted to be obedient, hopefully for His ultimate glory. Last week, I left a $10.00 tip on a $10.00 lunch that I had. I just sensed that the waitress was struggling, and God nudged me to do something to encourage her. This morning, following the lead of a local Christian radio station, I paid for the breakfast of the person behind me at the drive-through (I had to get me early-morning Diet Coke!). Again, I don't know who it was or how she responded or what she was going through, but I know that the cashier was somewhat shocked and confused. I believe that God can use any situation to impact others for Him, if only we submit to his calling and his moving within us. And the funny thing is, this giving has impacted me in a powerful way, too. Tears are streaming down my face as I am writing this. I am tempted to think that the RACCKos are all about changing other people. But, honestly, they are also about changing me....about softening my heart to others......about making me more like Christ......about teaching me what it is to be willing to give anything and everything for God's glory. I have been humbled and challenged. And I want more!

If you're like me, I sometimes ignore God's gentle nudging. It is easy to stay in our comfort zones and close our eyes to the immense needs in the world around us. But, praise the Lord!, we serve a God who is in the business of making miracles, and He loves to work in awesome and unexpected and unexplainable ways. And, maybe the most amazing thing is, He wants to use you and me to do it!

So, my challenge for you today is to let God work through you as you find ways to do RACCKos in your own life. It is fun, VERY FUN! and something that you can let your kids help with, so that they see the joy of obedience and giving and letting yourself be used of God. I firmly believe that someday, when we are all in heaven standing before God, I will learn of the impact of those simple RACCKos in the lives of people. And that will be awesome to see how God uses seemingly insignificant acts to change the world person by person.

My challenge: Commit a RACCKo in the next week and leave a comment letting us know what you did and how you responded. Yes, it may be a stretch on your budget. Yes, it may take some creative planning. Yes, it might mean you can make one less trip to the scrapbooking store (OK, that one's hard for me, too, I can relate.). Let's all get in on the making of miracles! I promise. You will not regret this investment. RACCKO!